The
Indian National Congress seeks the vote and support of People of Punjab with a solemn
pledge to restore the honour and redeem the glory of the State in keeping with
the following:

ITo redeem Punjab’s Honor Economically, Socially,
Culturally, Financially, Environmentally, and to restore Punjab to her Rightful
place in India.

If there is one word that describes
Punjab, it is “Izzat” (honour). Our history, culture and way of life
are replete with instances where we have lived and died for honour and prestige
of our motherland.But in the last
decade, Punjab’s eminence and honour have been severely compromised. Today, our
beloved state is being cited as an example of misrule and depravity. Indian
National Congress’s prime objective is to “redeem
the honour of Punjab” with
respect for every Punjabi anywhere in the country or abroad and to restore its
rightful place in the front ranks of the provinces of India, in the service of
our nation.

a)Social
Honour: The evidence of deprivation is everywhere—drug
abuse in youth, deterioration of value systems, the ‘goonda raj’ unleashed upon
the common man by the ruling dispensation, a total absence of ‘rule of law’, an
atmosphere of insecurity that our daughters, sisters and mothers are being forced
to live under and the plunder of our natural resources point to the fact that
our social honour has been compromised. Unscrupulous elements in the society continue
to provoke violence in the name of caste and religion. The Indian National Congress is committed to end this miasma of
despair and insecurity and bring about a new dawn of hope, security, equality
of justice, harmony and rule of law.

b)Cultural
Honour: Punjab is globally famous for being the land of Gurus,
Masters and Prophets. It is the land whereBaba Nanak Ji laid the foundation of spiritual and cultural rejuvenation
of people. This land has also given us bards like Waris Shah, Sufi giants, like
Bulle Shah and philosophers like Sheikh Farid. It also gave us countless
warriors who fought for maintaining the moral, ethical and cultural integrity
of the land. Despite being subjected to numerous invasions, Punjabis’ stood for
the glory of the written and spoken word, written and oral traditions,
language, music, art, literature and poetry. Unfortunately there have been
instances of disrespect to even our holy books. Our shared culture has also
come under attack. The Congress shall arrest this downward slide, and take
steps to revive our glorious cultural heritage.

c)Fiscal
Honour: Reckless expenditure by the SAD-BJP Government on
meeting its own unconscionable MOTIVES, a highly corrupt and ineffective tax
administration system, victimization of industry has ensured that our fiscal
stability has been imperiled. It is a disgrace that our example is frequently
quoted as an epitome of “how not to manage one’s finances”. Punjab today does
not have money to pay for salaries and pensions. The State has been forced to
mortgage and sell its properties. We have been living under this state
of “fiscal emergency” and “financial
insecurity” for the past many years but far from correcting it; the
SAD-BJP government has chosen to live in denial at its own peril. In fact, it
has continued to mislead the people to prevent any monitoring of the
unscrupulous expenditures of its ministers and acolytes.This has to change. The Indian National
Congress is committed to take Punjab out
of a vicious circle of indebtedness and bring it on a virtuous circle of
economic development and prosperity through prudent spending.

d)Honoring
the Earth and Environment: The famous land of five rivers,
lush green fields, fertile soil and fragrant air is today polluted to such an
extent that our holy rivers have been reduced to sewers. Their river banks are
being plundered by the oligarchs. The fertility of the soil has been destroyed
as our lands are getting increasingly sterile.Our air is full of toxic gases. Forests have been felled without any
attempt to replenish the state’s green cover.Our people are succumbing to cancer and a whole range of diseases that
stem from polluted and unhygienic environment.The Indian National Congress is committed to put an immediate end to this ravaging of our environment and ensure
that our waters, air and land are purged of pollutants and undesirable
contaminants, providing our citizens clean and green living environment.

IISaving our Youth

Our youngsters, who have been famous for
their valour and fortitude, are today mired in a morass of drug abuse,
unemployment, illiteracy and depravity. Punjab, which used to be on forefront
when it came to international sports achievement and sending our youngsters to
army is now earning global notoriety for destroying its youth.Rather than accept the problems, the ruling SAD-BJP
Government has chosen to deny them. This denial is yet another affirmation of
the fact that the ruling dispensation is hand in glove with the nefarious
agencies that have eaten into Punjab like termites.It is ironical that whereas the other Indian
provinces are talking about how to maximize their demographic dividend, we in
Punjab are not even acknowledging that our youth are in distress. The Indian
National Congress is committed to eradicate the menace of drugs, adapting a “Zero Tolerance Policy”.

a)Permanent Cure, Perfect
Rehabilitation: While we plan the severest of actions
on the people who are directly engaged in drug trade, we are also committed to
show utmost compassion and understanding to those who have been wrecked by this
evil. An elaborate policy of rehabilitation and bringing our youth back into
the mainstream of productive action would be introduced.

b)Economic Empowerment:
At the same time, the Indian National Congress is committed to ignite economic
and productive activity in the state.It
shall revive the industrial clusters and make all efforts to get big investment
projects, which generate large-scale employment for our youngsters.When we talk about investment we do not
merely mean the real estate projects—the sorts talked about by the present
government—which seek to benefit a select fewprivileged people—but of the sort that can benefit society as a whole
and help Punjab emerge as a manufacturing and services powerhouse.In the absence of proper avenues many of our
youngsters are forced to look for opportunities in foreign lands, where they
are abused and exploited.The Indian
National Congress envisions a state that provides ample opportunities where no
youngster is forced to leave his/her homeland because of lack of opportunities.

c)Equipping with Education:
Our primary, secondary and higher education systems are nearly defunct. The present government has disgracefully
mistreated our teachers and has refused to make any investment in improving the
education infrastructure.As a
result our youngsters are ill equipped to benefit from India’s fast evolving
economy. The Indian National Congress shall ensure a total overhaul of state’s
education policy, wherein it shall subsidize education, provide state of the
art infrastructure, free education aids, and give teachers the respect and honour
that they deserve. The Indian National Congress believes that money spent on
education is not expenditure, it is the best investment because it improves the
future all citizens of the state.

IIIStanding up for Punjab

While Punjab has never shirked from
making sacrifices for the larger cause of the nation, it is regrettable that
when it comes to protecting Punjab’s own interests, the current SAD-BJP
government has failed miserably. This is because the present government’s
leaders have been so selfishly pursuing their own personal agendas that they
have had no time and inclination to take up Punjab’s issues at the national
level.

The Indian National Congress will take
up issues crucial to Punjab’s well being and relentlessly follow them up with
the Central Government.These issues
include-

a)To Ensure that Chandigarh
and Punjabi speaking areas become part of Punjab;

b)Use of Punjab’s waters for Punjab only
as it is water-stressed state and has no surplus water;

c)Accord a special status to Punjab
with tax holiday to promote industrial development; and

d)Waiver for Punjab’s debt
as an acknowledgment of supreme sacrifices made by Punjabis and losses suffered
by them during the dark decades of terrorism.

IV Break the Ugly Oligarchic Stranglehold on Punjab’s
Resources.

Punjab’s natural resources are being
plundered by corrupt oligarchs and unscrupulous politicians turned businessmen,
most of whom trace their origins to the family and relations of the Chief
Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister.They have monopolized sectors such as transport, media, mining, lottery,
housing development, liquor trade etc.The nepotism continues in awarding contracts and giving away state’s
precious resources at throw away prices.This has to stop forthwith. Indian National Congress is
committed to bring this evil to an end.It shall introduce a transparent system of auctions, tendering wherein
all the details shall be made available in public domain. All politicians and
office holders will be barred to hold an office of profit. There would be zero tolerance for any “conflict of
interest” and in case of a breach, the office holder would be relieved of
his/her duties immediately.

VTo Restore Punjab’s status as the Granary
of India.

It is a tragedy that the farmers of a
state who ensured food security of modern India are today struggling to make a
living for their own
families. The SAD-BJP government has professed to be the
government of the farmers, but in reality this is a false projection. Our
farmers have faced the worst troubles under the rule of SAD-BJP
government.Government’s claim of
Punjab’s farmer getting 8-hour electricity is a bad joke.Its commitment to bring about reforms in
agriculture now sounds farcical.

The Indian National Congress has always
recognized the sacrifices that farmers of Punjab have made for food security of
the country.Given the right support,
our farmers can spawn another green revolution and the Indian National Congress
shall facilitate this revolution unhesitatingly. Its elaborate policy in this
regard shall encompass, continuation of free power, improvement of our mandis
and the purchase mechanisms, putting an end to
farmers’ exploitation, support to PAU to develop new HYV seeds, massive
investments in improving state’s antiquated canal irrigation system, support and
incentives to farmers who invest in crop diversification, promotion of food
processing industry in the state and setting up of a modern warehousing
infrastructure, cold storages and modern agriculture produce transport fleet.

VIEnding Common Man’s Alienation

Punjab’s social fabric has been a
cementing factor that has held our society together. The strong bonds that our
ancestors had built allowed Punjab to become a culturally rich and socially
cohesive community.This has been
endangered by two terms of misrule of SAD-BJP government where religious
tensions have erupted, minorities have been made to feel insecure, the
scheduled castes and the downtrodden have been victimized, the women have felt
insecure and the weaker sections of the society have been alienated completely.

The Indian National Congress is
committed to end the feudal and oppressive SAD-BJP regime and to bring about
social justice, provide equal opportunities for the downtrodden, prevent alienation
of the marginalized and minorities, repair the social fabric of Punjab, and
restore people’s faith in the values of comity, brotherhood, secularism, and
socialism.

There is a serious “faith deficit” under the current dispensation, where people
do not trust the government. In fact, they fear the government and its
agencies. The Indian National Congress is fully conscious that a government is
meant to serve and not to rule and its government shall serve the people of
Punjab without prejudice against anyone. Affirmative action, devolution of
resources and full implementation of reservation for Scheduled Castes, Women,
OBCs, and minorities shall be crucial elements of Congress Government to
establish a more equitable society in the state.

VII
Immediate and Total End to the VVIP culture

The 10-years’ misrule of SAD-BJP
government has totally alienated the common man, deflated his confidence in the
government and has made him feel so powerless that he feels marginalized in his
own state and in his own city. Cavalcades of blaring sirens rudely pass him by,
asking him to make way on roads that have been constructed by taxes paid by
him.Most of the times, the only
qualification of VVIPs in these cavalcades is that they are near and dear ones
of the ruling family of Punjab.These
VVIP’s houses and personal properties have been accorded protection by state
police forces, which ought be busy maintaining law and order and protecting the
common man, but they have been reduced to mere orderlies of these pseudo
VVIPs.

In today’s Punjab, there is no semblance
of an honorable and egalitarian society. The exchequer is being depleted so
recklessly by all these kith and kin of the ruling family that this expenditure
has become one of key reasons for state’s pitiable financial condition.

State’s administrative machinery,
government wealth and public properties being used as personal belongings of
these VVIPs, whose number have continued to swell alarmingly with each passing
month.

The Indian National Congress shall completely
end this VVIP culture, with no preferential treatment of any sort to any office
holder.It is committed to install a
government that is meant to serve the people. Its message to its office
holders, administrators and ministers shall be clear that the
sentimentof “Sevabhav”of the government should be seen and
experienced by the people of Punjab without any discrimination.

VIIIEliminating the Politician-Police nexus

The Congress Government shall initiate
large scale police reforms and shall completely obliterate unholy nexus between
politicians and police, that has grown and prospered under the SAD-BJP
government. The Police shall be freed from the clutches of undue political
control, but at the same time their performance would be closely monitored on
the basis of feedback received from the local citizenry. The Congress Government shall act
as a guardian, intervening only when required. Police’s prime and only role
would be to ensure rule of law and maintain law and order in the state, and
secure the well-being and safety of the common man.Police reforms as initiated by the Governments
of New York city and Northern Ireland, which have helped to restore the faith
of public in police and have also led to a dramatic curtailment in the crime
shall be studied for implementation in Punjab.

IXA Job For Every Household –Ghar Ghar Rozgaar

The famous industrial clusters of Punjab
in Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Patiala, Mohali, Faridkot, Moga, Ferozepur
and other districts are today moribund because of a decade of government
apathy, harassment of industrialists, shoddy infrastructure and a total lack of
support.At the same time, big industrial
units such as Dell have either left the state or curtailed their operations in
view of the lackluster industrial climate in the state.As a result, the industrial development in
the state has become stagnant, there is no creation of jobs for the state’s
youngsters.

The Indian National Congress is committed to
revive the traditional small and medium scale industrial clusters of Punjab
such as hosiery, textiles, sports goods, electronics, wood work, electrical, hand-tools,
light machinery parts etc and give a fillip to creation of new clusters. At
the same time, it shall aggressively pursue prominent global and domestic
investors to set up units in Punjab. The important yardstick in selecting these
units would be their employment contribution for the youth of Punjab. These investments would be a major cog in
Congress Government’s overall scheme of One Job for every household-Ghar-Ghar
Rozgaar.

XCongress
for Punjab- Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.

While making these commitments, the Indian
National Congress would in all humility like to submit to the people of Punjab,
it has performed its best, in hours of maximum distress and danger.The Congress led the freedom struggle of
India—ending centuries of foreign rule. It gave modern India its first
constitution and a system of free and fair parliamentary democracy. The
Congress government under the legendary Sardar Partap Singh Kairon, brought
about the Green revolution, the prosperity and made Punjab the number one state
in the country. He opposed trifurcation of Punjab sought by Akalis, in the
guise Punjabi Suba. Akalis have in fact reduced the territorial strength of Punjab
and plundered wealth of Punjabis for the benefit of select few.

Punjab suffered a lot during the dark
days of terrorism and when a lot of outsiders had given up hope on Punjab. It
was a Congress government led by Sardar Beant Singh that brought about an end
to terrorism in our state.Again when
country was torn apart by religious tensions and our internal security was
threatened by a dismal economic situation, it was Congress Government that
initiated economic reforms and propelled India to become a modern resurgent
economy guided by Dr Manmohan Singh, a true son of Punjab.

Today, Punjab is passing through one of
its darkest hours. The Indian National Congress is pained by this
and is committed to end this darkness and usher in a dawn of new beginnings and
hopes in a New Punjab which is more equitable, safe, prosperous and healthy for
all generations to come. We plead to the
People ofPunjab to vote for a Congress
Government in the State.[1](Read footnote)

***

II

Charge Sheet

Why it is imperative for the People of Punjab to
rid themselves of decade of SAD-BJP Mis-Rule

It’s A SAD BAD Show Here

It has been a starkly Shromani Akali Dal show for the entire
reality of Punjab this last decade across which the SAD-BJP governance has
dragged the State and its people into a deep abyss of fiscal deficit, economic
mess, lawlessness, policy paralysis anda shameful decline in uprightness. They believed and pursued vigorously
a policy of Loot, Boot and Shoot, three malignant features of their
character. Some of the key examples of poor governance, unprecedented
loot/corruption, and inherent character malignancy of SAD-BJP
government are as under:

·Family First---Family comes First while the
State goes to the Dumps: It’s SAD
but true - that a family of the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister and
its extended members hold key governing positions and then, instead of the governance
machinery being watched and corrected, the State’s time and energy goes into
camouflaging the misdeeds and misfires of its varied family members. While the
State dips to depressingly low levels of economic activities and incomes, it is
matter of common knowledge that a few individuals have turned
multi-millionaires, and rather rapidly.

·Drug-Abuse–The Big Trap of Youth: The way drugs have undone the people of
Punjab, nothing else has. Clearly, it’s the SAD-BJP government that has
mortgaged the future of young Punjabis to the rapidly-rising drug mafia.
Picture this: Drug Lords are members and active players in the present
SAD-BJP regime. Some of these individuals are not only involved in procuring
and distributing drugs but they also arrange police and legal protection to
drug suppliers. Studies indicate that nearly 70 per cent Punjabi youth, have,
in one form or another, used various drugs, the most recent of which is
‘chitta’, introduced and propagated during the SAD-BJP regime. Since
here is where big money is, the so called ‘efforts’ of the government to check
the drug menace are a mere hogwash. Not many drug peddlers have been booked.
Instead, a large number of hapless drug addicts, victims of the system and
government’s transgressions, have been jailed. The government drug de-addiction
centers established at all district headquarters with an investment of over Rs
200 crore, are lying vacant andhardly
any inmate is getting treated there. Policing the disoriented addicts, protecting
the drug suppliers, and victimizing those who stood up for the families of the
affected, have been hallmarks of the government’s manner of ‘tackling the
menace’. The cold-shouldering of the addicts and their problems is
clearly leaving the youth of the State at the mercy of the drug mafia who wield
political, economic and even government authority over them.

·Destroying the Foundations: It’s never easy to unleash heavy rule
breaking with institutions and structures that do not synchronize with motives
driven by personal success. So naturally and sadly enough, the SAD-BJP
government has been demolishing institutions and structures in the State,
robbing them off their own powers and autonomy. Quite obviously, empowering the
people of the State is the last thing on this government’s mind and centralization
or authority like a superpower, and exercising the same in an unconstitutional
manner have been the hallmark achievement of SAD-BJP Government.

·Corruption Everywhere: There are endless proofs and pointers showing
how the SAD-BJP government has directly or indirectly promoted and lionized
corruption and adulterated the social and moral fabric of the land. Some of the
most glaring and widely reported cases of corruption in SAD-BJP regime are as
following:

i)Drug
Mafia: Making money at the cost of youth, mortgaging their future;

ii)Mining Mafia: Sand costs more than
wheat flour;

iii)Liquor Mafia: Country liquor prices
have shot up shockingly just to benefit the liquor mafia;

iv)Land Mafia: Most of the government
land and properties are unscrupulously being sold to the members or benefactors
of the SAD-BJP;

v)Cable Mafia: Much crucial news goes
undeclared and information is controlled through the PTC and Fast way groups,
to promote and ‘feed’ the myth of development by the SAD-BJP government;

vi)Transport Mafia: There is almost
total control of the transport sector by the SAD leaders. The State’s transport
policy, including licensing, route permits and tariff, is dictated by a select
few transport companies who reap big riches from them, at the cost of Punjab
Roadways and the PRTC;

vii)Lottery Mafia: The sale of State
lottery is monopolized by a select few benefactors of the SAD-BJP who operate
under the freedom of assured police protection;

viii)Food Scam: The CAG has reported food-grains worth over Rs 12,000 crore as
missing and the State Government has admitted a mismatch of Rs 31000 crore on
its food account;

ix)Safai Scam: Contracts for cleaning up
of major corporation towns such as Mohali, Ludhiana, Bathinda etc. have
constantly landed in the laps of firms owned, patronized or promoted by the SAD
bigwigs;

x)Housing Scams: Housefed handed over a whopping Rs 237
crore to contractors for the Banur Housing Project instead of the actual cost
of Rs 150 crore, and obviously, the poor allottees bore the brunt rather
heavily. And all major real estate developers have been allowed to retain and utilize
10 per cent project land actually meant for the EWS. All this translates into
hefty benefits for the SAD-BJP;

xi)Recruitment Scams: The process of recruiting people - who come
out-of-line and are grossly, undeserving, into various government positions, is
breeding heavy corruption and pulling down the levels of professional aptitude
in important positions of decision-making. With corruption being so rampant,
the State can never hope to upgrade its functioning in any sector. Brilliance
is bound to get discouraged and abandon the State.

xii)Education Scam: Admissions to medical colleges and nursing
schools come at exorbitant fees, making education unaffordable for the
common man. There are enough events of big bribery camouflaged as ‘grants’ for
admissions to undeserving candidates. Where this takes our education system
& our youth’s futureis anybody’s
guess;

xiii)Cheating
the Farmers: The sale of wheat seeds and cotton pesticides is controlled by
a select few at exorbitant prices. The farmers are forced to buy cheaper
qualities that come adulterated. The produce thins away or is sometimes not
good enough for selling. The farmers are, thus, going from poor to poorer and
farmers’ suicides are always a reality dangerously frequent.

·Jungle Raj: The SAD-BJP has promoted and provokeda free-for-all, might-is-right kind
of attitude in Punjab. This is how they have undone the State once a shining example
for honest, upright men and women who could give up their lives for the sake of
the ‘right’ and the ‘truth’:

i)The lost voice of the Common Man: The
common man lives in constant fear and insecurity. His voice of dissent is
constantly crushed under the police threat or political might. False and fake
FIRs are used as a major weapon for the alleged misconduct;

ii)Rogue is Right: The police and the civil administration
back fraudulent individuals and proven rogues by shielding them and perching
them on premium platforms and placements. In the barter, selfish political
motives get hoisted. The whole system of policing and administration is riding on blatant
lawlessness;

iii)Loss
of law: With rogues lording over law, the crime rate in the State has
climbed up to shameful numbers. Murders, robberies and rapes are eating into
daily lives of the common man;

iv)Destroyed Holy Character of a Sacred State:
Shockingly frequent incidents of
disrespect to holySri Guru Granth Sahib ji, Srimad Bhagvat Gita
, Quran Sharif and the Holy Bible either by burning or tearing them,
are forcing everyone to scan the State’s hidden strategy. Amazingly none of the
culprits in these incidents have so far been identified and brought to justice.
These incidents are clearly threatening hard earned peace of Punjab;.

v)Farmer suicides continue unabated: In a state that was once famous for its
agrarian richness suffers an average of four-five farmer suicides
everyday! And this does not seem to rankle the State enough to make drastic
changes. It red-marks a thorough collapse of the State’s civil and economic
administration;

vi)Industrial Investment Exits: The SAD-BJP government has apparently left no
stone unturned to push major industrial investors out of the State. Most
of these investors have established and expanded their businesses of over Rs
One Lakh Crore in the faraway Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Gujarat and
Uttarakhand, not only shying away from expanding their businesses but also
withdrawing most, if not all, of their investment in Punjab. Major industrial
hubs of Mandi Gobindgarh, Batala, Phagwara etc. now wear a deserted look;

vii)Green
goes Grey: The State’s economy has hit rock bottom with the collapse of its
vibrant agriculture sector. The farmers and agro-businessmen are leaving their
occupations for menial wage employment. Studies by the Punjab State Farmers’
Commission indicate that over 1,00,000 farmers have left agriculture, especially
over the last one decade, while distress sale of agricultural land is becoming
more common. Farmer suicides not only continue unabated but have actually risen
in number during the last two years.

viii)‘No Vacancy’ everywhere: Unemployment
spreads a shroud over the State increasingly while political maneuverings and
monopolization of industry, trade and business rises. One of the biggest
reasons is the decline in agriculture, the general disregard and
disillusionment farmers face at every step. The curse of unemployment is indeed
a reality Punjab is being pushed to face now. It is estimated that nearly three
million employable youth are on the roads, seeking jobs, but their hopes are
only dimming and lives are declining with each passing day.

·Resources - Ripped Apart & Depleted: The
policy paralysis and failures of the government have seriously impaired the
State’s financial, human and natural resources in many ways:

i)The State’s financial resources have started
depleting owing to the complete breakdown of taxation policy and
administration.Corruption in the tax
administration has crossed all limits;

ii)Apart from indiscriminate sale and disposal
of government properties to meet political ends, the land resources of the people
are fast depleting with no curative or remedial measures being taken by the
SAD-BJP government.

iii)The soil health of the State is seriously damaged,
thanks to the increased and reckless use of sub-standard agro-chemicals and
fertilisers;

iv)The water resources, apart from natural
decay, are depleting fast due to an inappropriate water-use arrangement,
unintelligent sand regulations of the government and lack of a well-designed
State Water Policy to ensure its optimal sustainable use;

v)The human resource in Punjab, once proudly
famous for being the most sturdy, healthy and dynamic in the country, is fast
depleting, with its energy and intellect being impaired by heavy drug addiction,
low standards of education and training, poor health facilities, rising
diseases, unemployment and resultant social evils.

·Declining Education Standards: The
SAD-BJP government has not made any serious efforts to upgrade and improve
standards of education for the poor. It is obvious from the following;

i)Inadequate infrastructure in government
schools and colleges;

ii)No provision of teaching & learning aids
in government schools and colleges;

iii)Overall declining levels of learning in
government schools and colleges;

iv)High dropout rates in government schools;

v)Mushrooming of private commercially-aimed
schools and colleges with no effective regulatory mechanism; the levying of
exorbitant fees and the resultant denial of right to education for deserving
children; and

vi)Abysmal working and living conditions in
‘aanganwari’ centers in rural areas, denying the residents early childhood care
and education;

·Health On The Lowest Low: The health standards in the State are on an
all-time low, owing to:

i)Lack of infrastructure in government
dispensaries and hospitals;

ii)Lack of doctors and inappropriate placement
of those available in government hospitals and dispensaries, ignoring the
deeply-felt needs of people in the rural and urban areas;

iii)Non-availability of medicines in government
dispensaries and hospitals;

iv)The resultant proliferation of private and
commercial healthcare facilities which has resulted in complete obliteration of
public healthcare services; and

·Dalits & OBCs Deprived of Their Rights:
The SAD-BJP government is notorious for completely ignoring the rights and interests
of nearly 50 percent of the State’s population represented by Dalits and the
OBCs. These populations have been denied their basic rights to education,
health, civil amenities including sanitation, drinking water and sewerage.
Special Components plans, though prepared on paper, are never implemented.
Scholarships to students belonging to Dalit and OBC families are not paid,
misappropriating the funds for some other, not-so-essential projects. An amount
of nearly Rs 650 crore is reported to be outstanding. Hostels established in
government schools and colleges for these populations are not provided even the
basic essential services. Old Age Pensions, Blue Cards for atta-dal, and
shaguns, are provided to Dalit and OBC families purely on political affiliations,
ignoring all those who do not support SAD-BJP’s demeaning governance.Thousands of ineligible supporters of the
ruling SAD-BJP combine are getting these benefits, ignoring the legitimately
deserving poor Dalits and OBCs. The Punjab Reservation for Schedule Castes Act
enacted by Congress Government in 2006 has been violated more often than
implemented. Backlog of government jobs reserved for scheduled castes, has
increased manifold during the last ten years.

Decidedly,
during the last decade, under the SAD-BJP run, Punjab has lost its economic and
financial punch, the agrarian space has been compromised, the youth have been
sacrificed to drugs and unemployment, education has been sidelined and much of
the treasures the State once boasted, have been uprooted & usurped. Pausing
this plunder is a dire and crucial need if Punjab is even remotely dear to any
of us.

****

III

Captain’s Punjab: A Nawan Naroan Punjab

As a soldier, Captain Amarinder Singh knows about the fortitude and
sacrifices required to defend the motherland. As someone who has been in the
line of fire, he knows that difficult times call for courageous action. As a son
of soil, who went to fight for his country, he knows that to protect
his motherland’s honour, we all need to go beyond the call of our duty. As a
commander of men, he knows about the virtues of collective action and team
work. Today, this soldier and a true son of Punjab, finds his motherland, his
beloved Punjab in absolute despair. Her honour having been ravaged, her glory
being stripped, her wealth being squandered, Punjab expects her warrior
sons and daughters to pick up the cudgels and wage a battle against drugs,
nepotism, bad governance, disease, inequality, pollution (of air, water, soil
and culture), economic stagnation and unemployment. Punjab, wants her
honour back and Amarinder the warrior is ready. This soldier who led in the
battle when enemy armies threatened to breach the borders of Punjab in 1965, is
raring to attack the evils that enfeeble his province. For this battle, he
seeks the support of people of Punjab. His strategy for renewal of Punjab is
focused around nine key areas, which is described as “ Nawan Naraon Punjab
layee Captain De Naun Nukte”-

Nawan Naroan
Punjab

Layee

CAPTAIN De Naun
Nukte

The All-New Punjab:
Captain readiesthe Remedies

IPunjab Da Paani, Punjab Vaaste (Punjab’s
water is for its people only)

As compared to the demand of water, there is a 30% of
shortfall of water supplies in Punjab. This is a tragedy for a state that has
been blessed with some of the great rivers of India. Punjab was the forefront
when it came to sharing its resources with other provinces of India but the
other states have not been as generous. The Central Government also has not
given Punjab its due. On the contrary we are being chastised for ground water
depletion. We supply wheat and rice to ensure food security of the country, we
share our water resources with our states so that they may prosper—but we have
been betrayed.Punjab covers 1.5
percent of India’s land, but produces nearly 20 percent of the nation’s wheat
and 12 percent of its rice.Today,
our ground water is depleting at such an alarming level that three fourth of
the blocks have been declared as “Dark Zones” by the Central Government. Ground
Water Development Index is 172, which is way above the danger mark of 85. Thus
the state does not have surplus water, though acknowledged by the Central Government
but they refuse to apprise the Supreme Court of India and other States namely
Haryana and Rajasthan. Punjab’s river water is clearly required to sustain its
people’s life and economy. While others have benefitted at our expense, we have
suffered. The Indian National Congress would ensure that Punjab da Paani is
used for Punjab only, and not dissipated at any cost.

The Akali-Dal BJP combine had an attitude towards drug
menace in the state that oscillated from being callous to being complicit. The Congress
makes a total commitment that people of Punjab give us a chance, then drug
supply, distribution and consumption would be stopped within four weeks.

The Indian National Congress proposes strict and
deterrent punishments for all drug dealers, suppliers and distributors and a
compassion for the victims. Those suffering as a result of consumption of drugs
would be dealt with sympathy to enable them to bring them back to mainstream
and to ensure that they live, healthy, peaceful and productive lives.A new Legislation would be enacted
to ensure speedy trial of culprits and to begin with, confiscate their
properties immediately.

IIIGhar Ghar Rozgar ( A Job for Every
Household)

The Indian National Congress would provideOne Job for each family. It wouldidentify all unemployed youth under
its programme titled asGhar
Ghar Rozgar and ensure employment for them in a time bound manner. For speedy
execution of this programme at professional level, Employment Bureaus (EBs)would be established in all districts
of the state. These EBs would be manned byqualified
professionals and specialists including Employment Counselorswho would prepareannual district employment plans,clearly setting targets for self and
wage employment. Training and guidancewould
also be provided for overseas education, training and employment.It would be ensured that all
those unemployed registered with the EBs are provided employment in pursuit of
ourtarget to provide
employment to at least one person in each family in five years from 2017-22.
Till such time these jobs are given, all identified unemployed would be an
Unemployment Allowance of Rs 2500 per month.

Depleting water, declining soil quality, poor human resource management,
corruption in supply of inputs, bad government policies and inefficient
disbursement of subsidies have brought immense grief to Punjab’s farmers both
socially and economically. The Congress Government shall rigorously pursue to
remedy the situation with a waiver of agricultural debt—the biggest concern for
state’s cultivators. The Congress also appreciates, that bringing economic
relief to farmer would be a more elaborate process. In addition to debt relief,
the Congress promises--

Trade, business and industry have been substantially
damaged and in some cases completely destroyed under the SAD-BJP regime. The Congress
will immediately end the monopolization of transport, mining, liquor
distribution, stone crushing, cable television and other areas where the
ownership can eventually be traced to an Akali Dal leader.

The small scale industry clusters have been destroyed
while investors have been harassed to the point where they have left the state.

The Indian National Congress is committed to make
Punjab the most attractive investment destination in the country. We would
focus on investments in manufacturing, service industry and food processing,
which can provide jobs to our youth and lead to value addition in our
agriculture. At the same time, we are committed to revive our indigenous small
and medium scale industry. The Congress shall provide an environment that
facilitates ease and freedom of doing business. We will provide affordable
electricity at Rs 5 per unit and subsidized water and sewerage. Excise and
taxation policy and administration would be completely revamped to check
corruption, stop harassment and ensure efficient mobilization of revenue for
state’s exchequer.

VIWomen Empowerment:

The Indian National Congress is committed to implementing
33 per cent reservation for women in jobs, educational institutions and
allotment of residential and commercial plots in all categories. In addition
the reservation for women in PRIs and ULBs would be raised to 50 per cent.

VIIFree Housing for all houseless SCs:

The vision of Indian National Congress is that Punjab
should be a more equitable and egalitarian society. The Congress government
policy shall focus on removing poverty, promoting professional education and
devolving more resources to persons/families belonging toscheduled castes that comprises of
31% of State’s population. The mission is to ensure their social and economic
upliftment and to bring them at par, with other sections of the population. While
continuing the reservation more effectively as per the Reservation Act 2006
which was enacted by the Congress Government, the Congress would ensureendowment
of greater resources by giving free houses or 5-marla plots with financial assistance
of Rs one lakh to eligible homeless SCs.

VIII Caring for the OBCs:

Post
1992, all other backward classes were mainstreamed by allowing them
reservations in jobs, education and other ventures.The reservation for OBCs in jobs
will be raised from 12 percent to 15 percent, and in educational institutions,
from 5 to 10 percent. Further threshold limit for creamy layer in OBCs will be
raised from Rs 6 lacs to Rs 10 lacs. The Indian National Congress will also
implement a Mukhyamantri Awas Yojna to provide free houses to all homeless poor
in rural and urban areas whose annual income is Rs 2.5 lacs or less.

IXEx-servicemen
as Guardians of Governance (GoG) at Grassroots:

Punjab’s soldiers have always been at the forefront
when it comes to defending the nation. From the earliest times, Punjab has been
first in the line of fire and our people have made immense sacrifices
throughout the history of India. Today, the soldiers who once defended the
honour of motherland against the foreign enemy feel disheartened to see their
helplessness as their own beloved Punjab hurtles from crisis to crisis. They
are ashamed at the mis-governance that has crippled the state.

The Indian National Congress is focused on improving
governance at the grassroots and to achieve this, it shall reach out to
distinguished ex-servicemen. Local ex-servicemen would be trained and appointed
as Guardians of Governance, where they shall oversee proper implementation of
government schemes and programmes. Their participation shall ensure that
government’s relief reaches the needy, and is not dissipated due to corruption
and favoritism. The Congress Government shall create posts of Guardians
of Governance at the village, cluster and block levels.

.

*****

IV

Save
Punjab-Vote for Congress

Punjab
Congress Manifesto

Pradesh Congress Committee dedicates itself to the People of Punjab with
the following Programme of Action for its Government in the State.

This Programme Document, presented as Manifesto of Punjab Congress, shall be a dynamic document to provide for and accommodate aspirations of
People of Punjab during the next five years, 2017-2022.

I - CURBING VIP
CULTURE

The
Indian National Congress will pursue the following measures to achieve a
complete end to VIP Culture in the state:

5. Salary/allowances/reimbursement
received by all MLAs will be
updated every month on official website and will be made available to the
public;

6.All MLAs and MPs will declare
their immoveable properties on 1st January every year;

7.The protocol of laying foundation stones and
inauguration by Legislators & Ministers will be defined and laid down, ensuring respect for all citizens. Foundation/
Inauguration stones will be laid only by the President of India, Vice-President
of India, Speaker of Lok Sabha, Union Cabinet Ministers, Chief Ministers, and
Speaker of Punjab Vidhan Sabha.

8.No State Banquets or Dinners will be held
(at government expense) except in the honor of the President of India,
Vice-President of India, the Prime Minister of India, Speaker of Lok Sabha, and
the visiting foreign dignitaries;

9.The use of helicopter for travelling by the Chief
Minister and the Ministers will be
forbidden except in the case of emergency or calamity;

10.All Ministers / CM will travel with bare minimum security and at no
point will traffic be stopped or diverted to facilitate their travel.The system of placing Police personnel
every few yards (route deployment) will be abolished; and

11.The District Administration will function as normaleven on the visit of CM / Ministers.Any official required by
the VIPs, will make himself available with prior written permission of the
appropriate authority. The Government officials will not seek resolution of their
grievances, if any directly at the political level except with the prior
appointment and permission of the competent authority

II.RIVER
WATERS OF PUNJAB

The Indian National Congress
categorically and emphatically states that Punjab does not have surplus water to share with any other non-riparian
and non-basin states. It shall ensure that Punjab
da Paani is used for Punjab Vaaste only.
As compared to the demand of water, there is a 30% of shortfall of water
supplies in Punjab. This is a tragedy for a state that has been blessed with
some of the great rivers of India. Punjab was the forefront when it came to
sharing its resources with other provinces of India but the other states have
not been as generous. The Central Government also has not given Punjab its due.
On the contrary we are being chastised for ground water depletion. We supply
wheat and rice to ensure food security of the country, we share our water
resources with our states so that they may prosper—but we have been betrayed.Punjab covers 1.5 percent of India’s
land, but produces nearly 20 percent of the nation’s wheat and 12 percent of
its rice.Today, our ground water
is depleting at such an alarming level that three fourth of the blocks have
been declared as “Dark Zones” by the Central Government. Ground Water
Development Indices is 172, which is way above the danger mark of 85. Thus the
state does not have surplus water, though acknowledged by the Central
Government but they hesitate to apprise the Supreme Court of India and other
States namely Haryana and Punjab. Punjab’s river water is clearly required
to sustain its people’s life and economy. While others have benefitted at our
expense, we have lagged. The Indian National Congress will thus ensure that
Punjab da Paani is used for Punjab only, and not dissipated at any cost.

The Indian National Congress further
emphatically states that:

1.Provisions of
Section 78/79 of the Punjab Reorganization Act 1966 are ultra-vires of the
Constitution and Union Government should so declare it null and void.

2.Inter-state River Waters cannot be distributed under
Article 3 of the Constitution. The Government of India has neither enacted any
legislation nor passed any orders under Article 262 read with Entry 56 of Union
List, which deal with inter-state rivers. They have rightly not done so because
three eastern rivers of Indus System namely Sutlej, Ravi, and Beas are not
inter-state rivers qua Haryana, therefore they are not empowered to distribute
water of these rivers to non-riparian and non-basin State of Haryana. Union
Government should however apprise Hon’ble Supreme Court of India of this
truthful constitutional position;

3.the Congress
Government will relentlessly work to undo injustice done to Punjab in sharing
of river waters. It shall strengthen the existing intra-state river water
distribution and regulation infrastructure to ensure optimal utilization of
water. If so required, it shall construct new water channels, minors and
distributaries including Dashmesh Canal to harness full potential of state’s
river waters; and

4.the Congress
Government will not allow construction of any new canal including SYL, which
takes its river waters outside its territorial jurisdiction.

IIIWAR AGAINST DRUGS

1The Indian National Congress will adopt
zero tolerance policy for smugglers, peddlers, police officials, politicians,
bureaucrats of any rank or the Public who indulge in drugs
trafficking.The Congress Government will wipe out
the drug trade within a month (4 HAFTE) of its assuming office;

2.A vigorous campaign to educate young
people and to treat & rehabilitate drug users with compassion will be
initiated immediately;

3.To discourage Liquor consumption in Punjab
(which has doubled in the last 10 years), 5% of Liquor vends will be closed every year,
thereby ensuring substantial reduction of the sale of Liquor in 5 years;

4.Fast track courts will be setup in all
districts after getting the required endorsement from the Punjab and Haryana
High Court. These Courts will try the cases under the NDPS Act, which are
covered in Table 1 of the Act. Reports of the Forensic Science Laboratory, which
now take approximately 6-months, will be placed before the courts within 30
Days of the recovery of contra-band drugs;

5.The Confiscation of Drug Dealers Property
Act will be enacted within 30 days of the formation of Congress Government;

6.Approximately 45,000 cases under various
NDPS Act have been registered. Most (90%) of these cases pertain to Drug users
rather than the Drug Peddlers or Traffickers.The Congress Government will review all these cases and fix
responsibility of those involved drug peddling and supplies;

7Anyone who registers himself at the District
De-addiction Centre will be treated with compassion free of cost; and

8.A skill training initiative will also be
launched at the De-addiction Centres so that those cured of the addictions
shall become useful/ responsible citizens to earn their livelihood.

IV – AGRICULTURE
and Allied OCCUAPTIONS

1.KARZA
MUAFI -Depleting water, declining soil quality, poor human resource and
corruption in supply of inputs and disbursement of subsidies have substantially
damaged farmers both socially and economically. While the Congress Government
will work to revive farmers’ economy by continuing free power, direct transfer of
subsidies, diversification of agriculture with full input tax waiver for agro
and food processing industries,, provision of deficiency pricing for
alternative crops, establishment of price stabilization fund, introduction of
farmers pension scheme raising ex-gratia payment to Rs. ten lacs for families
affected by suicides, raising crop compensation to Rs. 20000 per acre,
provision of health, life and plot based crop insurance etc., it shall
ensure waiver of agriculture debt offarmers;

2.The
Punjab Settlement of Agricultural Indebtedness Act 2016 will be made more
comprehensive and effective. District Level Settlement and Reconciliation Forum
will be broad-based with a retired Judge as its Chairman and one representative
each from the Public, the Government and the Bank/ Lending agency as its
members. The settlement of debt will be made time-bound;

3.A new
Law will be enacted to prohibit sale and Kurki of farmers land by the
lending agencies. The existing section 67 (a) of the Punjab Cooperative Societies Act
1961 will be omitted;

4.Free
Power to the Farmers will be continued;

5.The Congress
fully supports the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission and will pursue
with the Central Government for its early implementation;

6.Agriculture
Marketing will be upgraded and digitized with a complete Ban on utilization
of Mandi Board Funds for purposes other than Agriculture Marketing;

7.Punjab State Agricultural Insurance
Corporation will be set up to promote agriculture sector insurance schemes
with the seed capital being provided by the government;

8.Agricultural
Sustainability Programme will be launched with greater focus on:

i)Free Regular Soil Health Testing;

ii)80
per cent subsidy on Intelligent Irrigation System including Drip and Sprinkler
Irrigation;

iii)Farmer
Education and Skill Development through digital technology (ICT);

iv)Precision
farming in at least 2k for every holding of 5 Acres or less;

v)Greater
incentives on alternative crops including free seeds, interest subvention and
marketing support by establishing a Price Stabilization Fund and adopting the deficiency
pricing support systems;

vi)Promotion
of Next Generation Agriculture Extension Reforms; and

vii)80
per cent subsidy on use of solar energy for agriculture;

9.Greater thrust
will be given on Research and Development of Alternative Crops including Maize,
Pulses, Horticulture Crops, etc. by PAU.

10.Deficiency Price Support will be provided to
the Maize Farmers;

11. Updation of APMC Act will be done to
ensure direct access of farmers to the national and international markets
through digital technology without tinkering with the existing MSP system;

12.Full Input tax waiver will be given on
processing of agriculture produce procured and processed in Punjab;

13.Greater thrust will be given on Establishment
of food parks for processing units of wheat, rice, maize, fruits and
vegetables;

14.Direct transfer of subsidy to the farmers
will be ensured excluding government from the purchase of any inputs;

15.Punjab Farmers Commission will be
strengthened and re-organized as a statutory body to provide for farmers
rights and frame Agriculture Policy in a dynamic mode. The Commission will also
be empowered for planning agriculture production. It shall study and survey
international markets to assess the export potential and national demand for different
agriculture produce to aid and assist the Directorate of Agriculture in
preparation of district and block level agriculture production plan according
to local agro-climatic conditions;

16.Agriculture Production Board (APB) will
be established under PAU for supervision of agriculture production process in
the state to improve the quality of production. It will be responsible for
contract farming and will supervise and guide production process from seeding
to post harvesting operations in tandem with APPC plan;

17.
Contributory Farmer’s Pension
Scheme will be implemented to ensure social security cover for the farmers;

18.Free Life and Health Insurance cover of
Rs. Five Lacs will provided to all farmers in Punjab;

19.One member of each family of farmers owning
less than 5 acres of land and landless laborers will be provided wage and
gainful employment;

20.Government of India will not be allowed
to tinker with the existing MSP system. Instead they will be pursued to
effectively implement MSP for other crops i.e. Maize, Pulses also. The State
Congress Government will ensure lifting of food grain within 48 hours
and payment by procurement agencies within 3 days for the procured food
grains;

21.Families of farmers and landless workers
adversely affected because of suicides shall receive priority attention of Government
and jobs would be provided to one member of each of these families;

22.Contract farming and land leasing will
be guided and enforced through effective laws protecting the rights of land
owners and cultivators in equal measure;

23.Subsidiary occupations including dairying,
piggery, poultry, beekeeping, agro-forestry, fishery etc. will be promoted,
developed and incentivized at par with the agriculture. The Government of India
will be pursued to provide income tax exemption on these occupations on the
lines of agriculture;

24.Cultivation of Maize (Kharif) will be
incentivized to save water, electricity and ensure higher returns to the
farmers.

25.The Congress Government will make Punjab a
Front Line State in Bee keeping, Piggery and Horticulture;

26.As earlier, the Congress Government will
ensure hassle free and fair procurement of crops with greater application and
use of IT;

27.Agro and food processing industry will
be incentivized with effective forward and backward linkages;

28.Development
of Cold storage warehousing and Grain silos will be incentivized at par
with the agro food processing industry;

29.To
present Punjab as a Premier Dairy State of India, greater funds will be
allocated for R&D in Animal Sciences;

30.Stamp duty on mortgage of land to access
credit will be reduced to 0.25%;

31.Agriculture Implement Bank/Agriculture
Service Centres will be set up in a cluster of every 8-10 villages, which shall
lend modern implements to the farmers on nominal charges;

32.Agro Industries Corporation will be
mandated to procure, store, process and market / export agriculture produce as
per the contracts entered into by APB;

33.The Congress Government will ensure a
minimum income (per acre) to the farmers and if required, direct income support
will be given;

34.Capital intensive infrastructure will be
provided at the primary cooperative Society level at subsidized rates to
curtail the cost of farm operations;

35.Credit needs of the farmers will be
reassessed and cash credit limit will be provided to the farmers by the
Cooperative Banks accordingly;

36.Small industry and rural artisans will
be provided cheap and easy credit and marketing support through cooperative and
commercial banks;

37.Greater thrust will be given on income
generating economic activities by women and a system will be developed for
marketing of their home made traditional articles such as “durries, khes,
embroidery work, Phulkaries, hosiery etc.” on a regular basis;

38Agriculture Labour will be compensated suitably along with the
landowner farmers at the time of crop-destruction owing to the natural
calamities;

39.POULTRY - Poultry is the largest employer per unit of
investment. The Congress Government will :

(a)Promote private sector investment for
creating a beneficial value chain from farm to fork, mandatory investment in
infrastructure at various levels of value chain, processing, cold storage
facilities etc. will be ensured prior to allowing access to the farms, thereby creating
new domestic and export markets to ultimately improve farmer income;

(b)Regulate all kinds of contracts of
farmers to safeguard their interest and save them from any potential
exploitation through appropriate statutory mechanism. Such a mechanism will
have adequate representation of the farmers;

(c)Establish a fully equipped Pathology
and Nutrition laboratory for sustainable, healthy, scientific and
profitable poultry farming across the state;

(d)Review feasibility of linking all government
benefits to the size/ capacity of poultry farm to ensure equitable access to
government welfare spending for small and marginalized farmers; and

(e)Develop a framework for ensuring
quality of farming inputs.

V-GOVERNANCE REFORMS

1.The Congress government aims to bring out
a ‘White Paper’ exposing false claims of the SAD-BJP regime in context of
development, governance reforms and the financial position of the State,
clearly cheating the common man;

2.Governance Reforms Commission will be
reconstituted as Governance Reforms and Ethics Commission (GREC) and it
will be manned by professionals who are experienced in governance processes and
procedures;

3.GREC
will, among other things, examine all contracts/ tenders/ bids above Rs 50
crore not only to ensure transparency but also to check their essentiality,
desirability, and full compliance of rules, regulations and CVC guidelines;

4.The Congress government will move away from pseudo reforms to genuine reforms
focused on Welfare of the people and
Ease and Freedom of Doing Business in Punjab;

5.Employment
Bureaus (EBs) will be established in all districts of the State. Qualified
professionals and specialists including Employment Counselors who will carry
out fresh surveys of both educated and uneducated unemployed in the State will
man these EBs. They will prepare annual district employment plans, clearly
setting targets for self and wage employment. Wage employment through
skilled and unskilled jobs will be segregated for government and private
sectors. Guidance and other facilities will also be provided for overseas
education, training and employment. The Congress Government will ensure that
all those unemployed registered with the EBs, are provided employment in
pursuit of its target to provide employment to at least one person per family.
And till such a time when they are provided a job each, they will be partaking
of an Unemployment Allowance at the rate of Rs 2500 pm.;

6.Over the last decade the governance in
Punjab, apart from being toxic, has become extremely expensive, detached and
largely devoid of merit in Punjab. It has made justice unaffordable and rule of
law scarce. The Congress Government will expand outreach of quality
governance to the common man at a minimum cost, pursuing the principle of
Barefoot Governance. Notwithstanding digital delivery of processes and
services, direct interaction with the citizens and social audit/ scrutiny will
be ensured through regular meetings of village and Mohalla/ Ward Nigraan
Committees by senior district level departmental officers and DCs/ ADCs/ SDMs
etc. Regular periodic inspections of government offices and staff at the block/
tehsil/ district and State level will
be made compulsory;

7.Governance reforms will aim to achieve process
reengineering to ensure effective timely delivery of services at
village, block, district and state level;

8.The existing Punjab
Lok Bill will be replaced with a new legislation to make it more
comprehensive and effective for all persons occupying public offices including
politicians, non-officials and employees;

9.Unified Service Delivery Centres will be
established for online delivery of services amalgamating all existing
segregated centers such as Suvidha Centers, Saanjh Kendras, Fard Kendras, etc.
with complete
backend computerization and digitization of records and data of all
government departments/agencies;

10.For regular periodic assessment of staffing
requirement of various government departments and organization, Staff
Inspection and Assessment Organization (SIAO) will be established;

11.Staffing requirement of all government
departments and organizations will be assessed separately for regular, permanent
and contractual appointments. Critical core staff will be recruited annually
on a regular basis;

12.A separate Special Component Plan will be
prepared for the development of SCs and it will be presented along with the
Annual Budget to the Punjab Vidhan Sabha for approval;

13.The Punjab Right to Service Act will be recast
to make it more comprehensive and to ensure that it is executed and implemented
by regular permanent staff with full accountability;

14.A special legislation will be enacted to
provide for regular statutorily empowered mechanism for redressal of public
grievances at tehsil and district level;

16.A separate authority will be established for
effective management and processing of domestic, industrial and agriculture
waste, both in urban and rural areas. Such an authority will work to generate
‘Wealth Out Of Waste’;

17.The Punjab-Online project will be
launched to ensure complete digitization of records, processes of government,
and the delivery of services across all sectors and departments of the State;

18.All rural and urban habitations of
the State will be wifi-enabled. Likewise all educational institutions of the
State will also be provided free internet connectivity.

19.Free Legal Aid will be provided to all SCs
and OBCs who seek to achieve their rights or intend to get ‘wrongs’ done to
them redressed through the judicial process. Separate Legal Advisers/Law
Officers will be engaged in the office of Advocate General Punjab, in this
regard;

20.Nayaya
Panchayats will be established in rural areas amending the existing law
on Panchayats, Block Samitis and Zila Parishads to ensure quick, easy and
affordable justice at the grassroots;

21.One of the biggest challenges facing the
administration and one of the biggest headaches for a farmer pertains to
revenue records and family partitions. The Congress
promises to put this particular task and updation of records on fast track and
complete the entire exercise in a time bound manner;

22.Details of assets of all IAS/IPS and certain other categories of officers will be
tabled in Vidhan Sabha every year. Failure at this shall be a punishable
offence under the rules;

23
.Special Courts will be established
to adjudicate on matters concerning, NRIs, Serving Soldiers, and trial of drug
peddlers to ensure speedier justice;

24 A Commission of Enquiry will be established to review all false cases and
FIRsmade during the last decade of the
SAD-BJP
Government with a view to ensure justice to innocent people and the
accountability of the guilty so that such things were not repeated in future.

VI. LEGISLATIVE REFORMS

The Congress Government will review all the
existing legislation with a view to repeal the outdated legislation and update those
, which are required to ensure good and transparent governance and speedy
justice. Further it will give greater attention to enactment and
implementation of the following legislation:

1.Right
to Education Act – every child below age of 14 years has a
right to education. State government will ensure full and effective
implementation of the Right to Education Act to provide free elementary
education up to standard I to VIII;

2.NRI
Marriage Regulation Act – each marriage with NRI will be
registered with the magistrate and proper records will be maintained so as to
prevent dual and fraudulent marriages;

3.Child
Labour Act – Ban on Child Labour. No child below the
age of 14 will be employed by any individual, household, organization or
institution. The employers of the child and the child’s parents will be liable
and accountable for lapses, if any, in this regard;

4.NRI
Property Safeguards Act will be enacted – for
safeguarding the property of NRIs (eg. Summary eviction of Tenant at 90 Days
Notice);

5.Whistleblower
Safeguard Legislation – Any person who acts as a
whistleblower to expose corruption will be safeguarded against official
backlash and victimization on account of his whistle-blowing act.The Congress Government will enact a special
Legislation in this regard;

6.Cable
Authority Act –De-politicization
of all news channels in Punjab will be ensured. No monopolization or
cartelization shall be allowed in cable TV networks and a state-wide statutory
cable authority will be constituted comprising of senior media persons under a
special legislation to be enacted in this regard;

7.Confiscation
of Drug Dealers’ Property Act:A special legislation will be enacted to immediately confiscate the
properties of Drug Paddlers and suppliers;

8.The
Confiscation of Benami Property Act.

9.The
Conflict of Interest Act will enacted to ensure that the MLAs / Ministers were unseated if found to have
business interest in their official capacity;

10.The Punjab Drinking Water and
Sanitation Act will be enacted to ensure provision of
these basic services as a matter of right of citizens; and

11.The
Punjab Law of Historical Memory will be enacted.(see annexure II).

VII
- POLICE REFORMS

1.Police reforms will be accorded top priority
by the Indian National Congress and the rule of law will be the corner stone of
its Government. SAD-BJP government has treated police as their handmaiden.
This unfortunate trend has to stop and the CONGRESS shall pursue the depoliticisation
of state’s police force. There will be fixed tenures for police officers and
they will be held accountable for their performances. The police department
will be given autonomy to maintain, pursue and ensure the rule of law;

2.The Congress Government will implement Police
Reforms keeping in view the directives of the Apex Court in as laid down
in the matter of Parkash Singh and others;

3.No political interference will be tolerated
at any level. Along with de-politicization of the
police force, it is also important to initiate the process of humanization of
the police force. The Congress is bound to uphold the human rights of every
citizen, of the State. It is a pity that the common man today views the police
force with a sense of terror. Reforms will be put in place to ensure that there
are no human right violations and no unfair detentions. Each citizen will have
a right to report against the police behavior that he/she finds inappropriate
or harassing. The complainant’s identity will be kept secret and the complaint
will be followed within 24 hours and an update on the action will be made
public on the State Police web portal;

4.New training programmes will be initiated
for the police personnel to train them to tackle the new crimes and situations
that Punjab is grappling with, especially the drug menace and cyber crimes.

5.A new Police Welfare
Fund will be set up to provide for housing of lower police personnel and
education of their children;

6.Most importantly, the unhealthy trend of
using police by politicians and bureaucrats as personal security staff will be
strongly discouraged;

7.To increase functional efficiency of the
police, territorial restructuring of police stations made by SAD-BJP with a
view to politicize Police, will be reviewed and recast;

8.Halqa In-charge system introduced by
SAD_BJP Government, making police sub-division and assembly
constituencies coterminous, will be abolishedto check and avoid any external, political or otherwise interference at
police station level;

9.Modernization of the police infrastructure will be pursued as a priority;

10.Free Medical Insurance will be provided to all the police personnel and
their families;

11.Large-scale construction of police housing will be initiated to ensure a decent living for all police
personnel;

12.Fixed hours of duty will be implemented, except in the case of emergency
duties;

13.Henceforth all new
recruitment into the police will be in the PAP and after five years of
service, the policemen will be moved to their home districts. After five years of service, they will be
eligible to serve under the various wings of the police e.g., Vigilance, CID,
Excise etc.;

14.The Congress government will ensure
time-bound promotion of Constable, Head Constable, ASI and all other ranks and
these promotions will carry due increments as well; and

15.A zonal headquarters of the PAP will be
established in the southern region of Punjab.

VIII
- FINANCIAL AND ECONOMIC REFORMS

1.The Congress government will restore to
the State its Legitimate Revenue in excise on liquor, auction money of
minor mineral, CLU charges, Transport Fees and Taxes, Cable Fees and Taxes,
etc. through open competition and bidding with complete removal of mafia from
the State;

2.The Congress government will engage the
required staff for all departments and pay them full salaries;

3.The Congress
government will establish an Employment
Commission along the lines of Employment and Skills Commission. The
commission will facilitate major job and entrepreneurship ventures, and shall
bring employers and employees together. Greater emphasis shall be on creation
of more jobs and entrepreneurs. Every new venture in Punjab, which
avails or gains any tax concessions from the State, shall have to submit to the
Employment Commission stating how many Punjabis will be employed. It shall
bring out a weekly magazine-report in both Punjabi/English, listing all
openings in Punjab, apart from maintaining an online database.The commission shall also coordinate and
monitor the work of Employment Bureaus;

4.An Expenditure Management Commission
will be setup to examine all government expenditures to ensure prudence and
efficiency in spending by various department and other organizations funded by
the government;

5.Restructuring of Agriculture and Industry-
A new policy to restructure agriculture and industry will be announced to
facilitate producers, manufacturers and traders for greater investments and
business in these areas. Greater financial incentives for agriculture and food
processing related activities will be announced in the first budget of the Congress
Government so that Punjab could move ahead from producer to manufacturing to
trading in agricultural commodities;

6.Debt waiver: The State government will initiate a debt waiver and restructuring
dialogue with the Union Government to bring the existing huge debt created by
SAD-BJP government within the manageable limits; and

7.The
Congress Government will ensure that no superfluous borrowings are
allowed to any department and wherever necessary, borrowing shall be permitted only for capital investments.

IX - WAR AGAINST
CORRUPTION

1.A new Lok Pal Bill will be introduced
with powers to initiate action on complaints including those against the Chief
Minister, all other ministers, and the bureaucracy at all levels;

2.Property details of all legislators and
bureaucrats and
the police officers will be laid on the table of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha every
year;

3.All contracts above Rs 50 crore will be scrutinized
by an Ethics/Transparency Commission; and

4.Third party audit of all government expenditures including the
expenditures of the local bodies for the last three yearswill be mandatory.
Such an audit will be done in first six months of the Congress Government. It
shall thereafter be carried out on an annual basis.

X.EDUCATION

1Quality
Education will be promoted and imparted as an emergent
requirement of the state;

2.Six per cent of State’s GDP will be spent on
promotion and development of Education to ensure adequate
funds for the concerned departments including Primary, Higher, Technical,
Medical and Vocational Education Departments;

3.A Comprehensive Digital Education Programme will be launched in the State to improve access to
quality School Education;

4.Neighborhood
areas of all school will be defined to ensure that every
eligible child in that areas goes to the designated school and further school
based reforms will be made in keeping with the judgment of Allahabad High
Court.

5.Transforming teaching and learning through
wireless / digital technology: Smart classrooms will be setup in schools to
make the teaching and learning interesting.This will require preparing IT compatible teaching-learning material for
all the classes along with the requisite hardware. Schools already have some
infrastructure in this regard but it is not being used optimally.The Congress Government will be pursue this
as a priority;

6.Greater stress will be given on School
Electrification Programme to achieve access to quality education through
digital technology. The schools will be provided regular budget for electricity
and other charges to be defrayed by them;

7.Deployment of Teachers will be rationalized:
A large number of schools are without teachers particularly in border and far
flung areas of the State, whereas in some areas there is overcrowding of
teachers. This is despite the claim that rationalization happens every year.
The need of the hour is to have a sustainable policy on school specific
recruitment rather than a general cadre of teachers at state level. Teachers
will henceforth be recruited for schools with no provision of transfer from one
place to another;

8.Free Transportation facility will be
provided to students: For optimum utilization of resources, school buses
will be provided at the government expenditure;

9.Outsourcing of Mid Day Meal Scheme: The
preparation of Mid Day Meal will be outsourced primarily for two reasons (1)
Saving teachers’ time and (2) reducing the cost of quality food through
economies of scales;

10.Exclusive cadre of Education Administrators:
The posts of DEOs and other senior education administrators, will be from a cadre of education
administrators giving due emphasis on specialization. The recruitment for this
cadre will be made exclusively out of teachers with the condition that the
applicants should have a minimum teaching experience and recruited on the basis
of open competition;

11.The Concept of Cluster Schools will be
introduced: For decentralization of School administration one principal of
a senior secondary school will be made in charge of all matters concerning a
cluster of 10 to 15 schools. Such a principal will be allowed to take all day
to day decisions including transfer of school teachers from one school to
other, temporarily as and when the need arises.He will be assisted with adequate number of non-teaching staff;

12.Teachers for teaching only: No
non-teaching work will be assigned to the teachers. Currently schools teachers
are assigned non-teaching work pertaining to education and other departments.As regards the work of other departments, the
Congress Government will consider to appoint multipurpose workers who will do
all type of miscellaneous work including survey work etc. This will require
about 15000 people and will not cost more than Rs. 150 crore for per annum. But
it will certainly relieve the teachers from other work and they will be available full time
for teaching only;

13.The Education
Board will be given autonomy and confined to conduct of
examinations rather than running some schools and preparing and printing textbooks;

14.Greater stress will be given on Strengthening
of SCERT and DIETs: Currently preparation of textbooks is
the mandate of PSEB.This needs to be
handed over to SCERT.Further, DIETS
will be opened in all districts. The Government In-Service Training Centers
(GISTC) set up to impart training to secondary school teachers will be merged
with DIETs.The principals of DIETS will
be of higher seniority than the DEOs.Their role in activities like doing Action Research, Learning Centers,
Source of learning and wisdom for teachers will be enhanced.Needy teachers will be incentivized for training
and higher education. Further, the teacher training programmes will be updated
regularly;

15.Emphasis will be on Improvement in Quality
of Education: It will be pursued as a continuous process. Being highly technical, it requires lots of
expertise like identifying the deficiencies in teaching methods, understanding
the teaching problems, preparing material both for students and teachers,
imparting short training to teachers at school level and working with them,
focused attention on individual child, sharing of knowledge in teaching,
creating a dedicated cadre of trainers on evolving basis etc. This will be
accompanied by a strong but decentralized system of monitoring of quality
parameters;

16. Removal of Grievances of Teachers: A
credible and transparent system to redress the grievances of teachers will be
put in place;

17.Regular Inspections of Schools: More
emphasis will be given on regular inspection with due notice to the schools. However, surprise inspections will also be
conducted to ensure improvement in quality of Schools;

18.Free
Text Books to ALL: Provision of free text-books will be made for all
students rather than giving free books only to SC students particularly
when only the students belonging to poor sections of the society come to
government schools;

19.All Schools textbooks will be posted Online,
enabling Students/ Parents to download the same free of any cost;

20.Emphasis on Early Childhood Care and
Education (Pre-primary Education): At present, no child below 6-years of
age is admitted to government schools whereas parents do not wait for that long
these days.They prefer to send the
child to schools at a very young age.Within the Government, there is a difference of opinion between the Departments
of Education and Social Security on this issue.On the other hand, there is little emphasis on education in Anganwadi
centers and at the same time these centers a very little have little
credibility for imparting of education. Therefore, the Early Childhood Care
and Education will be integrated with the school education and strengthened
further;

21. 33
per cent seats in Government-run colleges will be reserved for free education
for Poor, Meritorious, SC, and OBC Students;

23. S. Partap Singh Kairon Scholarship Scheme
will be introduced for need based Meritorious, SC and OBC Students to study in
Foreign Universities with a minimum coverage of 200 students per annum;

24.Minimum Learning of Levels (MLLs)
will be defined and achieved;

25. All
Government Schools will be provided Wi-Fi and Internet connectivity with
adequate infrastructure and hardware;

26.Adequate infrastructure will be provided in
all schools. It will include classroom, toilets, office,
drinking water, electricity and the playground;

27. Each
district will have at least two senior Secondary Girls’ Schools with the proper
hostels – Work in this regard will begin within 100 days of assuming office by the
Congress Government;

28Libraries of School will be strengthened
and one library period will be made mandatory in all schools;

29.Instead of only yearend examination,
continuous evaluation system will be introduced as part of Examination Reforms;

30.English as a medium of instructions
will be offered as an option in Government Secondary Schools;

31.A Regulatory Authority will be established
to supervise and regulate the functioning of the Private Schools; and

32.All School buses / vans / autos will be
exempted from payment of Road tax;

34Three Academies on the lines of Maharaja
Ranjit Singh Armed Forces Preparatory Academy will be setup in Malwa, Majha and
Doaba regions;

35.The Congress Government will endeavor to set
up two more Sainik Schools (One each in Malwa and Majha);

36.At least 50 new colleges will be opened in
Punjab ensuring atleast one degree college at each sub-division –The Congress
Government will start this work within 100 days of assuming office;

37.Autonomous status of State Universities will
be restored;

38.Technical education will be restructured on
the lines of SLIET Longowal. Existing technical colleges including
some new government colleges will be run according to IIT pattern with multiple
entry and exit points for students from Plus one up to Ph.D.;

39Syllabus of the technical and non-technical
institutions will be re-designed inconsonance with
present and future needs of national and international industrial market, in consultations
with the Industry;

40.
A Regulatory
Authority will be established to supervise and regulate functioning of Private
Universities and Colleges in the state; and

41.Protesting Teachers Demands: All
just demands of protesting teachers will be considered. Teachers on
contractual services will be regularizedand discrepancies in their salaries
etc. will be removed.

XI - HEALTH

1.Health Insurance for All: State
Health Insurance Scheme will be launched to provide for compulsory health
insurance for all. The insurance premium for all those below 18 years and above
60 years will be borne be the State Government, and the others will be required
to contribute a part of their premium.

2Development of Primary Health CareCenters(PHCs) andCommunity Health Centers(CHCs) as Multi-Specialties’
Hospitals:The State has set up huge physical
infrastructure particularly buildings for PHCs and CHCs but these facilities
are not optimally utilized at present. This is due to non-availability of
manpower and even where the Medical Officers are available, none of them are
willing to serve and stay. This defeats the very purpose of the setting up of these
facilities. Even the development infrastructure of residential accommodation
for the staff at these places is not going to solve the problem. With the passage
of time, the road infrastructure becoming better and better, doctors and other
staff prefer to commute from the major towns to these facilities rather than
staying at these places.

Coming
on the delivery of services by these facilities, there is little credibility of
these institutions in terms of quality of services. Most of these facilities
have developed a tendency only to refer the patients to the districts
hospitals. As a result people generally prefer to go to district hospitals or
to the private hospitals, which are overcrowded. All PHCs and CHCs would therefore
be developedas Independent Multi-specialty
hospitals equipped to provide requisite health care facilities to the citizens
and ensuring appropriate facilities for medical and non-medical staff at these
locations.

3.Establishment
of Referral Mohalla/Ward Health Clinics:The Congress Government will
establish referral clinics for every 1000 population, both in rural and urban
areas. Each of these clinics will not only be manned adequately but will also
be attached with a multi-specialty hospital for referral and follow up
treatment.

4.Online OPD registration and appointments
with the Doctors:There is a long queue generally seen outside the hospitals even for OPD
registration. This will be handled by providing more windows at the reception
and also by providing the facility for online registration. This will save time
and avoidable harassment to the patients.

5.Appointment of Hospital Administrators:
Doctors
for Patients only- Hospital administration is a highly technical
subject these days. In the absence of specialized hospital administrators, only
the medical officers and specialists are required to do most of the tasks
themselves at the cost of patients’ time. The specialist doctors needbespared from the routine administrative jobs. The Congress Government will
run management courses in this regard to improve overall efficiency of the
system. The doctors will be for clinical and medical work only.

6.Regular Recruitment of Doctors
particularly Specialists:There is huge shortage of doctors
particularly the specialists. The shortage of the specialists is a big hurdle
in achieving the desired targets on MMR and IMR.Thus, doctors will be recruited regularly on an annual
basis to ensure regular and adequate availability of services.

7.Opening of Medical Colleges:
The shortage of medical specialists may be resolved partially by recruiting the
manpower available in the market for the time being but in the long run, this
can be solved only by optimally utilizing the available infrastructure and by
evolving and improving it further. To
this end, every district hospital in the State can be easily attached with a
medical college. So to achieve this, atleast five new medical colleges will be
opened in the state, apart from improving infrastructure, facilities and man
power in the existing medical colleges.

8.Doing away of entertaining MLRs without
police recommendations: This is another reform required
to improve the efficiency of hospital administration. People generally having
disputes over trivial matters come to hospitals and pressurize the doctors to
issue medico-legal reports and try to create evidence in their favour and
against the rival party. This not only takes valuable time of doctors but also exposes
them to complaints by rival parties. This will however be distinguished from
some serious cases of road accidents etc. MLRs will be entertained only in serious
cases on the recommendations of the Police.

9.Universalization of User Charges:Patients are required to pay user charges at
various facilities. These charges vary from facility to facility. Depending
upon the size and available services, these charges will be kept to minimum and
made uniform.

10.Emphasis on preventive health care system:In developed countries and even in small
countries like Sri Lanka, there is a complete integration of health and
sanitation services. Some of these services like sanitation both in rural and
urban areas and also nutrition programmes, will be merged with health
department to emphasize preventive health care and create a cadre of public health
specialist to oversee proper implementation of preventive healthcare.

11Online monitoring of Ultrasound centers:
The implementation of Pre-Natal Diagnostic (Prevention) Act is always difficult
and found wanting in the States like Punjab and Haryana. There is a requirement
to submit monthly information of all scans carried out by an ultrasound center,
during a month by 5th of every next month. This serves a little
purpose in the presence of IT and better tools. Neither the Civil Surgeon is
analyzing this information nor is it easy to document and prepare by the ultrasound
centers. A better way would be to make online registration of all such cases by
the ultrasound centre mandatory. These should further be transmitted to Civil Surgeon, for regular online monitoring.

12.Separate
cadres of General Duty doctors and Specialists:
It has been observed that there is little distinction made at district level
between specialists and general doctors. Many times, the specialists are assigned
duties that can and should be performed by general doctors who are simple MBBS.
By putting specialists on general duties, we end up wasting valuable resources.
This objective will be achieved by establishing separate cadres of general doctors/physicians
and the specialists.

13.Upgrading
and Equipping District Hospitals with all equipment and ensuring their regular maintenance: All
the district hospitals will be upgraded and equipped with modern machineslike MRI, CAT Scan etc. to ensure that these
facilities are available to all the deserving and needy persons.

14.Care of the elderly: Yearly
preventive health check-up for those above the age of 55 years will be
conducted across the State so as to screen them for diabetes, high blood
pressure, heart disease, cancers etc., thus ensuring a disease-free population
of the elderly and also to reduce their financial burden for the future.

15.Chemists and Pharmacists: The Congress Government will-

oNot issue Wholesale License for sale of
drugs inside the Government Hospitals;

oIssue Drug Licenses to successors in
interest on Death or Dissolution of partnership provided the successors in
interest, have requisite qualifications; and

oEnsure adequate supplies of drugs at
affordable price, checking artificial shortages at any point of time.

16.Community
Medical Service:

The
Congress Government will:

oreviewand enact a new legislation on the basis of
the West Bengal “Community Medical Service” where Health volunteers
would be given basic minimum training for 2 years. These volunteers would in
turn be licensed to give First Aid and Emergency Aid.

17Indian Medical Association:

oThe Punjab
Medicare Persons and Medicare Institutions (prevention of Violence and Damage
to property) Act 2008, will be strictly enforced.Adequate security will be provided to the
hospitals so that doctors can work without any fear and threats;

oPrivate
hospitals, nursing homes in residential areas will be regularized on as
and where basis after payment of the prescribed CLU charges;

oReview
of Cashless Health Schemes – All cashless health schemes of the SAD-BJP
Government will be reviewed thoroughly and revised after taking views of all
the stakeholders. A modified PGEPIHS will be introduced providing safeguards
for employees and pensioners.Package Rates will be at least at par with
CGHS rates.There will be transparency
in process of empanelment of hospitals, authorization process and pending
payments;

oNO new Acts, rules
or regulations regarding private hospitals, if any made, will be applicable
retrospectively;

oProblems
of PMC – The Punjab Medical Registration Act 1916, under which PMC has been
constituted, will be reviewed in consultation with the stakeholders; and

oCoordination
Committee: There will be a Coordination Committee of the IMA Punjab
representatives and the Government headed by the State Health Minister, which
will meet regularly to take stock of the problems of the health care delivery
system and the doctors.

XII -INDUSTRY

1.The
Congress Government will announce a new Industrial Policy in the State within 90
days of assuming office. The first priority of the Congress Government
will be to revive the existing Industrial units by resolving their problems. SAD-BJP
Government has been offering many incentives and facilities for new investment,
most of these are only on paper, while the existing Industries have been ignored
for the last 10 years. The Congress Government will revive and support the
existing units since more than 20,000 units have closed down during the last 10
years due to anti trade and industrial
policy of SAD-BJP Government. The new policy will address all the issues and
requirements of different industries such as textiles, yarn, hosiery, hand
tools, light engineering, pharmaceuticals, cycles, garment making, sports
goods, and paper, etc differently and effectively. It shall further encourage
IT, ITES, BT and Pharmaceuticals and other sunrise industrial businesses and
services to take the State on high trajectory of industrial growth.

2.An
Industrial Urban Corridor between Amritsar and Chandigarh will be set up along
the Axis of the GT Road as well as the Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur road along with
Satellite Townships along the way. This will open up major areas of Punjab
for Industrial Development;

3.A
New Land Bank will be created for Industrial
Development;

4.Electricity tariff for the existing and
new industry will be frozen at Rs. 5/- per unit for the next 5 years;

5.In the last Annual Budget of the SAD-BJP
Government, Rs. 100 Crore was earmarked for Industrial Department.The Congress Government will enhance this to
Rs. 1000 Crore at least to incentivize and develop industry in the State;

6Border and Kandi District Capital
Incentive Scheme as per Industrial policy 2002-07 will be started again to
generate new employment avenues for the youth of these areas to wean them away
from drugs and other social evils;

7.A New Policy for Development of Industrial
clusters in the State will be announced immediately.Already more than 40 Clusters have been
identified in the State, but MSMEs are not coming forward as there is no
defined policy of SAD-BJP Government in this regard;

10.Development & Maintenance of Infrastructure in Focal Points
& Industrial Estates will be
taken up on a War footing;

11.Special budgetary allocation will be made to improve the existing
Industrial Infrastructure, particularly at the Industrial Estates and Focal
Points;

12.Education and Industry, particularly the
Manufacturing will be synergized to create R&D hubs to help in development of
new technologies and make the industry globally competitive;

13Promoting Startup Culture in Punjab: The Congress
Government will allocate Rs. 100 Crore in order to provide entrepreneurs with the
world-class facility. Any investment made by start-ups will be exempt from
payment of all taxes for five years;

14.PLUG-IN SYSTEM in major cities of
Punjab will act as an improvement in infrastructure which will be supported by
adequate resources. This will help in shaping and implementing the policies for
development of start-ups;

15.“NOC” for industries set up within the Municipal limits in 1980’s
and 1990’s will be exempted;

16.The Congress Government will remove gap and align the state policies
with those of the Central Government so as to enable small-scale industrial
units to benefit from the schemes and become competitive;

17.PAU will tie-up with the Industry for new Technology and for Products,
particularly in Agro and Food Industry;

18.PTU will establish a Research and Incubation Center for Start-ups;

19. TRADE AND INDUSTRIAL BOARDS will be established or broad based
so as to advise the Government in preparing and implementation of the policies
for quick and effective growth of trade and industry in the state;

20.HOSIERY
INDUSTRIES

(a)The Industrial Exhibition-cum-Convention
Centre will be set up in Ludhiana;

(b)Diploma and Degree Programs
for Education and Training in Hosiery will be introduced in Institutes of
Technical Education;

(c)Workers Hostel for Migratory Labour will be
set up in Ludhiana; and

(d)the proposal for a full fledged Airport at
Ludhiana will be pursued.

21.Trade and Exhibition Centre at Ajnala Road, Amritsar –A Trade
& Exhibition Centre will be set up at Ajnala Road, Amritsar on the pattern
of Pragati Maidan, New Delhi;

23.Development
of Small Enterprises :A Large number of Small household units are operating
in mix land use areas like Shimla puri, Basti Jodhewal, Sunder Nagar, Dashmesh
Nagar, SAS Nagar etc. since 1960. The Congress Government will develop a focal
point for all such units and provide land and other facilities like common
effluent treatment plant with modern amenities in the area at subsidized
rates;

24.NO NOC and CLU for new electric
connection and enhancement of electrical Power Load will be required: The
prevailing system to grant new electric connection to enterprises requires
submission of NOC from district town planner/ Municipal Corporation/ GLADA etc.
It is a difficult process and huge taxes/ development charges are demanded for
NOC by the said departments, which make it difficult for the entrepreneurs to get
the connection.No NOC and CLUs will be
required for new electric connection and enhancement of the existing power
load;

25.Pollution Control Measures: The small
but polluting industries/ enterprises will be provided industrial plots at
subsidized rates along with all other incentives as provided to new Industries,
to motivate the entrepreneurs to shift their enterprises to new focal points
outside Ludhiana City.

26. Exports from Punjab: The state will incorporate online
documentation for the export of goods as the entrepreneurs face lot of
difficulties from the staff of Customs department in processing of their
documents;

27.Labour Laws :The
existing Labour laws will be updated and simplified in consultation with the
representatives of Industry and Labour;

28.Suvidha Centre for Industry under one roof: Industrial Suvidha
Centres will be established in all districts under the Punjab Bureau of
Industrial Promotion (PBIP);

29.Open access to electricity will be made easier to facilitate
Industry to buy electricity from private power plants with a levy of
reasonable charges / duty;

30.The Congress Government will allot land lying vacant in focal
points to small entrepreneurs;

31.The Congress Government will make registration of plots
already allotted in industrial estates hassle-free;

32.The Congress Government will waive the condition of procuring CLUs
(Change of Land Use) for duly notified Industrial Zones;

33.The Congress Government will standardize all requirements
relating to pollution control and make compliance thereof hassle-free;

34.The Congress Government will setup a Consultative Committee
for Industry with the representatives from Industry, government and experts
as its members;

35.The Congress Government will incentivize and promote setting up
of major industrial units in the State, which will spur the growth of
ancillary units and create employment;

36.Incentive on Freight Charges: The Punjab Industry is far
from the major Ports of India.Raw
material used by this Industry like Coal, Iron Ore, Steel Scrap and Ferro
alloys come from other States or are being imported and have to be transported
to Punjab from sea ports. Finished goods are also exported to the other states
or to the other countries. Transportation cost is a great burden and a
prohibitive factor for the growth of Punjab Industry. The Congress Government
will provide freight equalization incentives to ensure viability and competitiveness
of Industry in the State;

37.ICC at interstate borders will
be fully mechanized with no manual interjections at all;

38.MOHALI INDUSTRY - In order to
encourage exports, Dappar dry port will be made fully functional. The Congress
Government will initiate dialogue with CONCOR and the Ministry of Railways to
start dedicated freight train from Dappar dry port to Mumbai and Kandla.CONCOR will be persuaded to accept half /
part containers from the Dappar dry port;

39.Many large scale Industrial units in Mohali have either closed
down or only using some portions of the plot and the rest of the land is lying
vacant or unused. They will be allowed to lease out vacant land to other
Industrial Unit with prior permission of Government. Similarly situated cases
elsewhere in the state will also be treated at par.

40.Shifting of High Tension Power Lines passing through factories in
Industrial Area, Phase 8 & 8-B, SAS Nagar (Mohali) will be taken up on priority;
and

41.An efficient, safe and reliable Public Transportation system
connecting Industrial areas of Mohali with the Tricity will be developed and
implemented.

SPORTS GOODS
INDUSTRY

42.The Congress Government will :

oset up a new Focal Point at Jalandhar
exclusively for Sports Goods Industry;

oset up a skill-development center where labour
will be trained with latest technique exclusively for the Sports Goods Industry
to overcome the problem of shortage of skill labour;

oopen a Research and Development center
exclusively for Sports Goods Industry;

oset up district level Industrial grievances
committees in place of the present Trade and Industrial Boards which are mere
an eye wash to appease a few of SAD-BJP office bearers and as such they are of
no use. The Chairman of these committees will be a local representative from
the Industry who commands the respect of all concerned and can help in Industrial growth of the
State;

43.The present SAD-BJP government has
failed to implement many decisions of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) e.g.
depreciation of C class gunnies, causing a loss of up to Rs. 20 lacs per Rice
miller. While the FCI had released payment on account of gunnies for the last
three years to the State agencies, the same has not been transferred to the
millers.Similarly, the state agencies
are not paying transport charges despite the same having been already released
to them by the FCI.In order to redress the
pending grievances of the Rice Shellers, the Congress Government will:

otake action against the guilty in the
bardana scam causing tremendous loss to the rice millers and ensure that the
millers do not suffer on account of use of gunny bags;

orelease transportation charges
immediately on receipt from the FCI;

orevisit the question of levying a
recovery of Rs. 3 per quintal on rice-millers;

oprovide for On-line refund of security
amount after the delivery of rice to the government;

oLevy Market Fee and RDF on ‘Narma’ at
par with Haryana and Rajasthan.

XIIIBEOPAR (TRADE)

1.Traders
(Beoparis)
will be given dignity honour, full freedom of choice and respect, which they
deserve.The Congress will raise the
voice of Beoparis and be their
advocate to resolve their pending issues / grievances;

2. Advanced Tax will be
withdrawn;

3.Annual processing fee for VAT return will be withdrawn;

4.VAT rate on Black tea will be reduced to 5%;

5.All types of Yarn will be taxed at 3.3%;

6.For
fair and proper implementation of GST, Trade and Industry will be taken into
confidence. There will be no clause of imprisonment in the
bill and rates of taxes will be commensurate with those in other states to
encourage trade and industry in the state;

7.Special Grievances Cells will be established for redressal
of Beoparis’ grievances in a time
bound manner;

8.A Robust insurance scheme will be put in place for
traders who may, by the quirk of circumstances, fall upon bad days;

9.Manufacturers will be expected to ensure quality of
goods made and sold by them;

10.Selling
and Purchase of used Cars: Lakhs of people are directly or
indirectly associated with the sale and purchase of used cars for their
livelihood. The Congress Government will rationalize taxes on used vehicles and
streamline the processes to facilitate such a trade.

XIVTOURISM

The Congress Government will:

1.Formulate a Comprehensive
policy on Promotion and Development of Tourism in the State;

2.Ensure that the Policy so formulated gives grater
thrust on development of Heritage, Eco
and Farm Tourism;

3.Give greater
incentives to local investments in Heritage, Eco and Farm Tourism;

4.Encourage and incentivize local
youth as Tour Operators on
pre-defined tourist circuits;

5.Grant fiscal
incentives at par with the Industry to all the projects aimed at promotion and development of Tourism
including establishment of Budget Hotels at various district HQs; and

6.Establish professional
Tourist Police to guide, facilitate and ensure safety and security of
tourists;

XV – WELFARE OF DALITS: DEVELOPMENT OF A MORE
EQUITABLE SOCIETY IN PUNJAB

1.In order to build an equitable and more
homogenous society in Punjab, greater thrust will be given on removing poverty,
promoting professional education and devolving more resources upon
persons/families belonging to scheduled
castes, who comprise of 31% of State’s population, bringing them at par, both
socially and economically, with other sections of the population;

2.Reservation
for SCs in Government Jobs will be enforced strictly in keeping in view the ACT
of 2006 as well as the Constitutional provisions. Existing backlog in recruitment shall be cleared by filling such vacant
post in Government in a time bound manner;

3.Reservation
for SCs will also be applicable
to the contractual/outsourced appointments;

4.Reservation
for SCs will also be applicable for the posts of
Chairman, Vice-chairman, members and directors of the Trusts, Boards and
Corporations in the state;

5.Special Component Plan will be prepared separately and submitted to the
Punjab Vidhan Sabha for approval along
with the Annual State Budget;

6.Free education will be
provided up to graduation level
to all students belonging to SCs and specifically to girl students belonging to
SC categories, up to any level;

7.SC students will be
given scholarships or free education in professional engineering, management
and medical colleges. 10 per cent seats would be reserved in all private
educational institutions for such a purpose;

8.Expenditure on boarding and lodging of SC
students admitted to professional colleges, will be borne by the Government;

9.Post-matric scholarship for SC students will be
fully disbursed on time;

10.30
percent reservation will be made for SCs in allotment of houses,
residential plots and commercial plots by the State Government or any of its agencies/department;

11.Likewise 30 per cent reservation will be
made for SCs
in leasing of land both residential, commercial or agriculture, by the
State Government or an agency or organization set up under any of the State
Laws;

12.Housing for Houseless SCs:
Free built up houses (living accommodation) or 5 marla plot will be provided to
all homeless SC families with an annual income of less than Rs. 5 lacs. Further
Mukhmantri Awas Yojanawill
be introduced to provide free residential houses to houseless rural and urban
poor also;

13.Free
Health and Life insurance cover will be provided to all SC families with an annual
income of less than Rs. 5 lacs;

14.Ensure Employment to at least one member of
every SC, OBC Family: At least one member from each family of Scheduled
Castes /Backward Classes will get employment so that they do not fall prey to
drug-addiction and other anti-social activities;

15.Minimum 300 units of electricity will be allowed free to
all families of Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes;

16.Existing Shagun Scheme will be reviewed,
making it more comprehensive as Ashirwaad Scheme and the amount will be raised to Rs. 51,000/- for the wedding of the
daughters of SCs, BCs, Christians, Muslim Communities and those living below
the poverty line;

17.Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Community Centres will be
build at block
level in Punjab to enable poor families belonging to SC, ST and OBC to arrange
their meeting and functions free of any charge;

18. Self Help Groups for Dalit families in
rural areas will be set up for generating employment avenues.Provision of low interest productive micro
credit will be encouraged;

19Outstanding loans (up
to Rs 50000) of SCFC raised by poor borrowers belonging to SCs for self-employment
activities will be waived;

20Venture Capital Fund of Rs 100 crore will
be created with SCFC to encourage youth belonging to SCsto start their own ventures; and

21Existing Atta-Dal scheme will be reviewed to make it more comprehensive
and better targeted. Along with
Atta-Dal, sugar and tea-leaf will be provided to all those covered under the
scheme.

XVICARING
FOR ECONOMICALLY BACKWARD CLASSES (OBCs)

The
Congress Government will:

oincrease
reservation of OBCs in government jobs from the present 12 percent to 15
percent;

oincrease
reservation of OBCs in educational institutions from the present 5 percent to
10 percent;

oVenture Capital Fund of Rs 100
crore will be created with Backfinco to encourage youth belonging to OBCsto start their own ventures;and

oHousing
for Houseless: Free built up houses
(living accommodation) or 5 marla plot will be provided to all houseless OBC
families with annual income of less than Rs. 5 lacs. Further the
Mukhyamantri Awas Yojanawill
be introduced to provide free residential houses to the houseless rural and urban
poor also.

XVIIMinorities

The
minorities are the pride of Punjab and a living embodiment ofPunjabiat.The Congress Government will work for the welfare of minorities in the
state and shall provide them benefits in schemes and programmes such as Ashirwaad,
Housing for Houseless, Waiver of loan for self employment activities and
reservation in educational institutions at par with other economically weaker
sections in the State. Further the State Minorities’ Commission will be
broad based and strengthened.

The
Congress Government will further:

a.Give
due representation to Christians, Muslims and other minorities in all State
Boards and Corporations;

b.Allocate
suitable land for burial grounds for Muslims and Christians; and

c.Establish
an Urdu Academy and a Medical College in Malerkotla with adequate allocation of
resources;

d.Promote
Professional education amongst the minorities including Muslims, Jains, and
Christians by establishing dedicated institutions/centres for them;

e.Promote,
name and dedicate the technical and other professional educational institutions
in Muslim and Christian dominated areas to the memory of Muslim Saints and
Christian Missionaries;

f.Provide
poor Christian and Muslim families the samebenefits as provided to their SC counterparts like Shagun under the Ashirwaad
Scheme, Free Electricity, Pensions, loan waiver and scholarship; and

g.Give
Five Marla Plots or houses to all houseless/landless Muslims and Christians of
the State whose annual income is up to Rs 5 lacs.

XVIIIRURAL
DEVELOPMENTand PRIs

The Congress Government will:

1.Strengthen
and Empower the Panchyati Raj Institutions(PRIs) with all functions and
authority in keeping with the 74th
Constitutional Amendment Act;

2.Ensure
timely devolution of resources to ULBs as per the recommendations of the State
Finance Commission;

3.Establish Career
Counseling and Skill Development Centres in every block/cluster of
villages;

4.Establish a Separate
Rural Infrastructure Development Fund to ensure unabated development of
infrastructure in villages including rural roads, streets, drains, sewerage and
drinking water supplies;

5.Provide potable piped drinking water supplies and
durable arrangement of sanitation with a toilet to each and every rural household in next two
years;

6.Ensure cleaning and remodeling of all village ponds
with regular outflow of sewage water ;

7.Establish Integrated/Unified
Service Centers in rural areas to facilitate quick and effective delivery of services at
grassroots. These centers will provide 24x7 services with full backend
computerization and the use of digital technology; and

8.Ensure
effective implementation of MNREGA with more
extensive coverage of rural populations, development of rural infrastructure,
timely (15 days) payment of wages based on statutory minimum wages.

XIXBORDER AREAS

1.A
special relief package for Border Areas will be announced within a month of formation
the Congress Government in the state. This shall involve,
creation of new social and industrial infrastructure in the region, grant of
reservation in government jobs and select educational institutions and fixing a
suitable monthly compensation of land that has been destroyed/rendered unfit for
use for defense/strategic reasons;

2.The residents of areas within 30 kms of
international border will be allowed 3
per cent reservation in Government Jobs;

3.The residents of areas within 30 kms of
international border will be allowed 5
per cent reservation in professional educational institutions;

4.The limit of capital industrial investment for
fiscal and other incentives under the State Policy, shall be 25 percent of the limit prescribed for other
areas;

5.And 20
percent of state’s total expenditure on infrastructure development
shall be spent on border districts of the State.

XXURBAN DEVELOPMENT AND LOCAL SELF
GOVERNMENT

The Congress Government will:

1.Restructure
Urban Local Bodies including Municipal Corporations,
Municipal Councils and the Nagar Panchayats/NACs to ensure that these become financially
and economically viable structures of Local Self Government;

2.Rationalize
all taxes and levies including user charges for water
and sanitation and property tax imposed by ULBs;

3.Ensure
that no
taxes and levies are charged by ULBs from the urban poor with an annual
income of less than Rs 2.5 lacs, widows, ex-servicemen, freedom fighters,
physically challenged persons, and the philanthropic organizations which are exempt
from payment of income tax;

4.Empower
ULBs with all functions and authority in keeping with
the 74thConstitutional Amendment Act;

5.Ensure
timely devolution of resources to ULBs as per the recommendations of
the State Finance Commission;

6.Pursue
Urban Sector Reforms including proper and effective
solid and liquid waste management, Integration of City Planning and Delivery
Functions, e-governance and delivery of services, re-engineering of processes
for delivery of citizen services, rationalization and restructuring of staffing
and streamlining of accounting on corporate lines;

8.Pursue
development of city infrastructure alongside the
provision of basic services including construction of roads and streets, parks,
street lights, citizen friendly city transport system, e-kiosk to facilitate
urban populations in achieving Smart Cities;

9.Establish a Separate
Urban Infrastructure Development Fund to ensure unabated development of
infrastructure in cities including the full provision of basic civic services;

10.Pursue the Government of India for abolition of octroi in
Jalandhar and Ferozepur Cantonments;

11.Establish a Separate authority for
effective management and processing of domestic, industrial and agriculture
waste, both in urban and rural areas. Such an authority will work to generate
‘Wealth Out Of Waste’;and

12.Review and relocate the Solid Waste Dumps at Amritsar,
Jalandhar, Patiala and Bathinda.

XXI
- TRANSPORT

The Congress government will give greater
attention to free and fair development of transport sector for being a major
driver of growth. It will:

1.Open
up the transport sector and ensure free and fair grant of
licenses for buses, mini buses & other commercial vehicles in a transparent
way;

2.Put
in place a fool-proof and hassle-free system for collection of toll tax on
new roads and remove the toll plazas from old roads as per the original
agreements with concessionaires;

3.Ensure
seamless entry of eligible goods carriers in the State from other parts of
the country;

4.Make the transfer of Registration Certificate (RCs)
of used vehicles (transport and passenger) less costly and hassle free;
and

5.Stop penalization
of truckers and consider a lump sum road tax for a fix number of years
for the trucking industry.

XXII–YOUTH AFFAIRS

Employment
Generation:

1.A comprehensive job creation scheme is
what Punjab needs the most. By job creation, we mean, creation of jobs at all
levels, right down from factory floor-employment to high level techies. The Congress
will aim to ensure that no Punjabi leaves the state due to lack of employment
opportunities. With this objective, the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Employment Generation
scheme will be introduced which
will include;

(a)‘Apni
Gaddi Apna Rozgar’ One lac taxies, commercial LCV’s and
other vehicles per annum will be provided to the unemployed youth at subsidized
rates.The State Government will stand
guarantee and no collateral will be required.They will be expected to repay the loan in 5 years’. The Government will
tie-up with major taxi operators’ like OLA, UBER etc. to ensure success of this
scheme;

(b)‘Harra
(Green) Tractor Scheme (35 to 50 HP)’ At least 25
thousand tractors along with other agricultural implements will be given at
subsidized rates to the unemployed youth enabling them to start their own
venture for agriculture services. The State Government will stand guarantee and
no collateral will be required.They
will be expected to repay the loan in five-year installments;

(c)
Creation of new jobs in Government & Private Sectors to ensure a job for
every household in five years, 2017-22: The scheme shall
involve setting up of new skill centers, start of new infrastructure projects,
getting new corporate investment, setting up of agro processing industry and
establishing new logistics set ups. All these steps shall create desired
employment opportunities;

(d)Compulsory
recruitment of local youth by industrial investors in Punjab up to 50 per cent
of the total work force; and

(e)Yaari
Enterprises: Small Enterprises promoted by two or more young
entrepreneurs, termed as Yaari Enterprises will also be subsidized and
incentivized to create employment for the youth. Such enterprises will receive
a subsidy of 30 percent up to a maximum investment of Rs 5 lacs. Nearly one
lakh such enterprises will be set up every year for the next five years,
2017-22.

2.EMPLOYMENT BUREAUs:

Employment
Bureaus (EBs) will be established in all districts of the State. These
EBs will be manned by qualified professionals and specialists including
Employment Counselors and carry out fresh surveys of both the educated and the uneducated
unemployed in the State. They will also prepare annual district employment
plans, clearly setting targets for self and wage employment. Wage
employment through skilled and unskilled jobs will be clearly segregated for
government and private sectors. Guidance and other facilities will also be
provided for overseas education, training and employment. The Government will
ensure that all those unemployed registered with the EBs, are provided
employment in pursuit of its target to provide employment to at least one
person in each family. And till the time they are provided a job each, they
will be partaking of an Unemployment Allowance at the rate of Rs 2500
pm. The work of EBs and implementation of employment generation schemes will be
overseen by a permanent Employment Commission.

3.Incentive to Use Digital Technology

In order to encourage and incentivize youth to use
digital technology in day-to-day life, the Congress Government will give free Smart Mobile Phones to the youth.
This will enable the youth, among other things, to be a beneficiary and a
partner in efforts to digitize Punjab through the Punjab Online Project.

Promotion and
Development of Sports

Punjab has historically been a premier sporting
state of India. However the Sports and Sporting achievements of the state have
been on the decline for the last 10 years of SAD-BJP Government. The Indian
National Congress recognizes that physical activities and sports are an
integral part of Punjabi culture. These translate into benefits of health,
social cohesion, economic activity, cultural enrichment and improved quality of
life. It shall therefore pursue the following measures for promotion and
development sports in the state:

1SPORTS AT VILLAGE LEVEL –
Rural Sports’ Stadium will be developed in every village. These stadia’s will
provide facilities for atleast five outdoor game facilities. In addition, Gyms
and Youth Clubs will also be established in these Sports Arenas:

2.SPORTS AT BLOCK LEVEL - Block
Sports’ Complex will be established in each block of the State in the next 5
years.These block level stadium will have
both indoor and outdoor facilities for about 15- sports’ disciplines;

3.SPORTS AT DISTRICT LEVEL – The
District level stadiums will be upgraded to ensure integrated development of
multiple sports disciplines in each district.

4.SPORTS INFRASTRUCTURE IN UNIVERSITY
–Creation of requisite sports infrastructure in all Universities of the
State will be encouraged with adequate financial support;

5.HIGH END SPORTS INFRASTRUCTURE
DEVELOPMENT – Astroturf and synthetic track and courts of International
standards will be made available to career sports persons.100 % funding will be provided for all such
projects;

6.STATE SPORTS UNIVERSITY – A
University for Promotion of Sports will be set up at Jalandhar;

7.IDENTIFICATION OF SPORTS TALENT – A
mass exercise to test physical ability of all children will be organized
annually in schools in collaboration with the School Education Department to
identify sports’ talent for nurturing the same for future;

8.SPORTS
SCHOLARSHIPS AND STIPENDS – It is recognized that
scholarships and stipends are necessary to attract and retain talent in the
sports.Sometimes, due to fragile
socio-economic condition of the players, they have to leave the sports in the
midway.The Congress Government will
increase the number of sports scholarships as well as double the scholarship
amount;

9.SPORTS AWARDS AND INCENTIVES will
be disbursed to beneficiaries annually;

10.INSURANCE SCHEME FOR SPORTSPERSONS –
An insurance scheme for the players will be formulated to insure them against
sports’ accidents, sports injuries and other exigencies. Such an insurance will
cover life and health risks of the sportspersons;

11.PENSION SCHEMES FOR EMINENT
SPORTSPERSONS – A pension scheme will be designed and implemented to ensure
and provide social security to all those talented sportspersons who want to
become champions at international level.

XXIII-
COMPREHENSIVE POLICY FOR REDRESSING NRI
ISSUES

A Comprehensive policy for redressing all
issues concerning NRIs will be formulated in the name and memory of Lala
Hardyal, one of the most erudite patriots who pioneered Indian freedom movement
in a foreign land. The policy shall include –

1)Introduction of special Government Interface
Center in every town wherein NRIs will directly approach for any issue their
families face in Punjab. These centers will have tele-conferencing facilities
enabling NRIs to apprise the officers-on-duty of their grievances. These Centers
will, in turn, be responsible for taking appropriate timely action in the
matter on priority;

2)A special portal will
be designed for NRIs to give their feedback;

3)An Institution of
Ombudsman for NRIs will also be created to monitor the action on their
complaints;

4)NRI
investment plans for industry and social sectors in the State will be dealt on
a priority basis. There will be a single window system with a 36-hour
guaranteed clearance of the proposals;

5)Citizen
Contact Centers of the Government of Punjab will also be set up in five cities
of the European Countries to cater as one-stop centers for all issues of the
NRIs living in those countries and concerning the State of Punjab; and

6)The Congress
Government will set up a Special Section in the Department of NRI to deal with
emigration and related issues, thus preventing the large scale Loot by
Unauthorized Travel Agents.

XXIV- SOCIAL
SECURITY

1.A
New Social Security Schemewill
be launched that shall allow a reasonable level of tax deduction at source,
while an individual is working. Post-retirement, he
will be provided with a social security in the shape of regular pension. All
private business and industrial entrepreneurs, who pay state taxes shall start
getting this pension at the start of the 60thyear of age. A portion of the tax paid
will be credited to the specially created social security account of the
concerned tax payer which shall determine the level of his pension on his
retirement;

2.The existing rates
of pensions for Old aged, Widows, and the differently abled will be reviewed
and enhanced to Rs. 1500 per month; and

3.HANDICAPPED
PERSONS: For the handicapped and the physically challenged
persons, the Congress Government will pursue the following:

a.Every year the whole month
of July will be dedicated to setting up Camps in every district where disabled
/ handicapped will be able to update Disability Certificate, Pension
Papers, Medical Certificates, Railways & Bus Passes and Medical Insurance;

b.The Minimum pension for disabled will be Rs. 1500/- per month and
this will be transferred directly into their bank accounts;

c.A Government School for Deaf and Dumb will be setup immediately (No
such school exists in the whole of Punjab);

d.Free Education at all levels will be provided to Disabled / Handicapped
/ Special Students;

e.The Government Schools for Blind at Jamalpur (Ludhiana) will be
upgraded to +2 immediately and the Staff will be recruited to full strength;

f.A Government School for Mentally challenged/ Slow Learner will be setup
in the State in the first year of Congress Government with the aim to setup
similar schools in every district in the coming years;

g.Adequate number of Wheel Chairs,
Electronics Air Beds and Pumps will be provided to the people with spinal
injuries;

h.The Backlog in Government Jobs for Handicapped persons will be filled
up immediately;

i.A Skill Development Institute will be established for the Physically Challenged Persons;

j.Disabled Girls will also be entitled to the benefits of Ashirwad
Scheme’ at the time of their wedding; and

k.The Para-Olympic Athletes who bring laurels to the State will be
treated at par with other Athletes in terms of rewards and benefits.

XXV - SPECIAL
COURTS

The Congress Government will set up Special
Courts to clear the backlog and ensure speedier justice for cases
pertaining to:–

i)Drug peddling and narcotics;

ii)Corruption
in public life;

iii) NRIs; and

iv)Serving
soldiers.

XXVI
– REAL ESTATE SECTOR

The
Real Estate Sector had contributed significantly to the State’s Gross Domestic
Product during the tenure of the Congress Government from 2002 to 2007. However
it received a debilitating blow during the last 10 years under SAD-BJP
Government.

The
Congress Government will:

1.Recognize the Real Estate Sector as Infrastructure
Industry and set up a State Board including inter alia representatives of
the Sector to suggest measures for its future growth;

2.Regularize
all
unauthorized colonies on or before 31.03.2013 / houses,
plots, shops, factories till date on “As
is where is basis”;

3.For new projects there will
be easy
licensing, more saleable area, time bound system and reasonable License Fee,
EDC,& CLU charges. No CLU will be charged in the same ZONE /
CATEGORY.Licensing will be
decentralized and made easy;

4.Single window system will be made
more effective. After the completion of necessary requirements License will be
granted within 24 hours on the undertaking from the colonizer to comply with
requisite NOC within stipulated period. However the failure to comply will
amount to deemed cancellation;

5.There will be no need of completion
certificate for old approved colonies;

6.The collector rates of property will be
reviewed in keeping with the downturn in the economy; and

7.A Real Estate
Regulatory Authority will be established in keeping
with the Central Legislation to ensure justice and fair treatment to the common
man in transactions concerning sale and purchase of land and buildings.

XXVII- POWER REFORMS

1.The Congress Government will revisit power
sector reforms to ensure 24x7 power supply at affordable tariff to all
sectors of State’s economy including domestic consumers, trade, business and
industry;

2.Electricity tariff for industry will be
frozen for five years;

3.POWERCOM shall be required to reduce AT&C
losses by one percent every year;

4.Electricity duty on Industry will be
reduced by 10 percent;

5.Electricity
connections will be issued on demand for all categories of consumers;

6.Separate dedicated feeders/lines will be
provided for high demand/pressure and big consumers and growers of cash crops
who intend to avail 24x7 electricity supplies at differential tariff. Infrastructure
for such consumers will be provided by Power Com at no profit no loss basis;

7.Transparency in operations of PowerCom
will be ensured through Third Party Pre-Audit. The operations of PowerCom
for the last 5 years will be investigated through third party professional
auditors;

8.Greater investments
will be made to improve, modernize and upgrade distribution and transmission
infrastructure to ensure smooth supply of power to all consumers,
particularly those in remote, distant and scattered areas;

9.Uninterrupted power supply
will be ensured to all educational and health care institutions in the
State;

10.Infusion of IT
will be accelerated in all technical operations including generation,
transmission and distribution of power to improve internal efficiencies, reduce
losses and avoid frequent break down of the systems and supplies;

11.Independent Dedicated Grievances’ Redressal
Mechanism will be established at district level to ensure
electricity related complaints and issues of the consumers were settled as
early as possible but not later than 30 days;

12.Solarization
of Irrigation Pumps: Since supplies to irrigation
pump-sets is quite significant and causes major commercial distress, besides
breeding inefficiencies, Punjab needs to isolate the agricultural supplies from
the grid system by way of solarization of irrigation pump sets.Adequate financial provisions will be made to
fund the solarization plan over a period of 5 years;.

13.The Corporate Structure to manage Power Utilities will be empowered and
granted adequate autonomy and support of the government to pursue
next generation power reforms;

14.Efforts will be made to ensure full capacity utilization of power plants
owned by PowerCom and the existing PPAs will renegotiated toensure that low cost power is first availed
by the State for the benefit of its consumers; and

15.Pachwara Coal Mine of PowerCom will be made
fully operational to ensure supply of cheaper coal to power plants at Ropar,
Bathinda and Lehra Mohabatt.

XXVIII- COOPERATIVES

1.Professional
management will be introduced and encouraged in the cooperative organizations instead of
bureaucratic administration and control;

2.Cooperative organizations will be developed as self-reliant
autonomous institutions for socio-economic development. The role of government
will be curtailed to supervision only;

4.The Departments of Cooperation and Cooperative Audit will be
restructured to make them development and people friendly;

5.All PACS will be made multifunctional and responsive to local needs
so that they may undertake any business activity for socio-economic development
in their area of operation;

6.Agriculture implements including tractors, seeders, reapers,
threshers etc. will be provided to PACS at subsidized rates to support small and
marginal farmers in undertaking agriculture operations at nominal charges;

7.PACS will be involved
in marketing of agriculture produce and will be provided storage facilities
such as plinths, cold stores for agriculture produce;

8.Cooperative Banking System will be
restructured to make it vibrant, cost effective, financially strong and
competitive;

9.Cooperative Marketing Federation will be
remodeled and involved in direct
procurement, storage, processing and marketing of the agriculture produce;

10.Cooperative Sugar Industry will be revived,
modernized and made multi-functional with the latest technology; and

11.Milk Cooperatives will be involved to develop
large scale modern dairies in each district of the state and the rearing of
indigenous high yields animals will be encouraged. MILKFED will be facilitated
to establish Mega Milk Processing Plants in the State.

XXIX
– STREET VENDORS (REHRI-PHARI WORKERS)

1.Presently
the poor who eke out a living by vending their wares on peripatetic carts
(Rehris) or squatting on the roadsides (Pharis) have to face the wrath of the
enforcement agencies. To provide them a decent and uninterrupted means of
livelihood, the Congress Government will immediately enforce the implementation of
the Street Vendors Act, 2014 enacted by the UPA government and provide full
opportunity to every person above the age of 18 years to work uninterruptedly
at designated places.

XXX – BUILDING MATERIAL

Monopolization
of minor minerals (bajri & sand) by a few persons has pushed up the
cost of construction and building material for the common man.The Congress Government will :

2.Push
for brick, sand & bajri to be included in the list of exempted items
under the Goods & Service Tax (GST);

3.Streamline
and make filing of mandatory air pollution reports by brick-kilns user
friendly;

4.Introduce
one composite license for setting up of Brick Kilns;

5.Fix
Financial Year for Brick Kilns as per the extant Income Tax Act; and

6.Rationalize
the tax rates on plywood at par with the adjoining states.

XXXI–
LABOURERS and SAFAI KARAMCHARIS

Instances are
abound where the contractors exploit poor laborers.Their payments are delayed even by the
government food-grain procurement agencies.Safai Karamcharis also continue to lead a life of misery and
hardship.The Congress Government will:

1.Suitably
revise DC wages / rates for all categories of employees, linking them with the
General Price Index;

2.Suitably
enhance minimum wages based on General Price Index;

3.Provide
5 marla residential plots or tenements to the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS)
on ownership basis at affordable rates and easy terms; and

4.Establish
a Board for Welfare of Laborers and Safai Karamcharis to provide them a say in
formulation of government policies and programme concerning them.

XXXII
– PENSIONERS AND SENIOR CITIZENS

Having given
their best to the Society during their entire working life-time, the pensioners
and senior citizens deserve a commensurate treatment from the society and the government
in the evening of their lives.Alive to
this truth, the Congress Government will:

1.Provide
Senior Citizens a priority in dealings with all government offices;

2.Set
up geriatric centers in all government hospitals;

3.Simplify
the procedure for getting retirement benefits; and

4.Establish
a grievances redressal mechanism i.e., Board for Welfare of Pensioners,
including both the civil and police pensioners.

XXXIII–
GAUSHALA & STRAY CATTLE POUNDS

The Congress Government will:

1.Open
one Gaushala and Stray Cattle Pound in every block run by the State Animal
Husbandry Department; and

2.Make
necessary provisions for NGO and Municipalities run Gaushalas at Rs. 30/- per
animal per day.

XXXIV -
JEWELLERS

The Congress Government will:

1.Grant
OBC status to Gold Smiths and they will get the OBC
certificate from the Punjab Government, as vide the page No. 1043 of the
dictionary of Punjab Government SONI AND SAWARANKAR words are the same;

2.Enable
jewellers to declare entry of goods into the State online at the point of
origin instead of the State barriers;

3.Reduce
the quantum of penalty presently levied @ 50% to 20%;

4.Put
in place a hassle free system for investigation of cases of stolen jewellery
sold by the accused to unwary jewellers; and

5.Introduce
Insurance against theft and loss of life for Gold Smiths.

XXXV
– PUNJABIAT

The
Congress Government will :

1.Establish
a National Institute for Promotion and Development of Punjabi Language at
Talwandi Sabo, Bathinda;

2.Vigorously
promote the Punjabi language and culture;

3.Encourage
printing and circulation of quality Punjabi Literature;

4.Establish
authorized Punjabi Centres for Standardization of the language;

5.Distribute Free Software in Punjabi;

6.Give Cultural rejuvenation grants for
Punjabi Theater in every District;

7.Connect prominent Punjabis outside the State
to their villages and hometowns;

10.Enhance
the Award and Incentives for Punjabi Sahityakars by making them double of the
existing amount; and

11.Increase
the grants for printing and publishing Punjabi Sahitya to 75% of the total
cost.

1.XXXVI - DEFENCE PERSONNEL WELFARE

1.The
Congress Government will set up a separate Ministry for the Welfare of Defense
Personnel/Veterans under the Chief Minister;

2.Indian
Prisoners of War in Pakistan Jails since 1971: The Congress Government
will immediately take up the issue with GOI.The contribution of the dependents will be recognized and a suitable
scheme will be formulated for their welfare;

3.The
Backlog of Vacancies in keeping with 13 %reservation in jobs for ex-servicemen will be
cleared;

4.Skilled
Labour: All
Ex-Servicemen whether employed by PESCO or otherwise, will be treated as
skilled labour and paid at the prevailing Collector rates ;

5.Reservation of seats in private institutions: The Congress
Government will provide for reservations in Private Schools / Colleges/
Universities for the children of ESM;

6.Excess levy of tax on CSD canteen items in
Punjab: Levy of tax will be at par with the neighboring State;

7.Dual
pension including old-age pension, especially to widows: will
be permitted as per Central Government Orderof 2013;

8.Compulsory
NCC: NCC shall be made compulsory in all institutes (government
or private) and ex-servicemen will be employed as instructors to steer the youth into a disciplined force;

9.Army
recruitment training Institutes: The Congress Government
will open two more Sainik Schools to train the youth of Punjab to join the Army
as a soldier or as an officer. The services of ex-servicemen will be explored
for such institutes and this can go a long way in the character building of
Punjabi youth. Institutes like Mai
Bhago Institute at Mohali, for girls and Maharaja Ranjit Singh Armed Forces
Institute and Army Law College are inadequate; Thus three more such schools/
institutes are proposed, one each in Majha, Malwa and Doaba regions;

10.Establishment
of ESM Cell: An ESM Cell will be established directly
under the control of Chief Minister. And the Chief Minister will directly look
into complaints and welfare of the large number of ex-ESM of Punjab;

11.
War Jagirs: Gallantry
Awards and Emoluments will be increased every year and in case no land is
available for War Jagirs, Cash awards will be given in lieu thereof;

12.Safety
and Security of Property:All
properties of ex-servicemen and Serving soldiers will be brought under the same
provision as the NRIs;

13.Priority
to soldiers’ complaints: Serving soldiers facing day-to-day
problems at home will have their complaints forwarded by their CO directly to
the ESM cell serving under the Chief Minister;

14.Non-payment
of cash incentives: The pending payments to the youth who
joined the defense forces through the NDA will be made forthwith. The pending
payments to the War decorated soldiers will also be cleared;

15.Improve
Sainik Rest Houses: The ESM cell formed under the Chief
Minister will nominate one member to look into the up-gradation of Sainik Rest
Houses in Punjab;

16.Completion
of Sainik Sadan in Phase X, Mohali: It willbe done within
One year of the formation of the Congress Government;

17.Recognition
of WW-II veterans: There are very few WW-II veterans who
are alive but are not paid any pension. They are dependent on their children. The
Congress recognizes their contribution and believes that they also need to be
called to various forums and they should also be considered for adequate financial
relief;

18.Honouring
the Gallantry Award winners and ex-servicemen: The
Congress Government will ensure that a Gallantry Award Winner and an ESM is
encouraged to participate in state functions like Independence Day / Republic
Day etc. This will inculcate a sense of belongingness among the ESM and they
will feel pride in being so; and

19.Ex-servicemen
as Guardians of Governance (GoG) at Grassroots:

Punjab’s soldiers have always been at the forefront
when it comes to defending the nation. From the earliest times, Punjab has been
first in the line of fire and our people have made immense sacrifices
throughout the history of India. Today, the soldiers who once defended the
honour of motherland against the foreign enemy feel disheartened to see their
helplessness as their own beloved Punjab hurtles from crisis to crisis. They
are ashamed at the mis-governance that has crippled the state.

The
Congress is focused on improving governance at the grassroots and to achieve
this, it shall reach out to distinguished ex-servicemen. Local ex-servicemen
would be trained and appointed as Guardians of Governance, where they shall
oversee proper implementation of government schemes and programmes. Their
participation shall ensure that government’s relief reaches the needy, and is
not dissipated due to corruption and favoritism. The Congress Government shall
create posts of Guardians of Governance at the village, cluster and block level.

XXXVII -
INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT

The Congress Government will give greater
thrust on development of quality infrastructure in keeping with requirement of
the people in a transparent way, ensuring better living and business for all
Punjabis. It will in this regard pursue the following measures:

1.Third
Party Professional audit of the rural and urban infrastructure will
be carried out in three months to identify the existing inadequacies and
deficiencies for remedial measures. Infrastructure Renewal Plans will be
prepared for each block and municipalities in the state to ensure time bound
action to meet the identified requirements;

2.Rural
Infrastructure Renewal Fund :
A separate fund will established to renew, repair and maintain rural
infrastructure including village roads, school buildings, hospitals and
dispensaries, vet hospitals and dispensaries, panchayat bhawans, cremation
grounds and burial grounds, sports stadiums, village street and drains etc.,

3.Widening
of Rural Link Roads:
At least one rural link road to a village will be widened from 10 ft to 18 ft
under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY);

5.All
district head quarters will be linked with high speed six lane roads. This will include widening and
strengthening of Chandigarh-Ropar-Jalandhar-Amritsar Road;
Chandigarh-Patiala–Sangrur-Bathinda Road; Chandigarh-Ludhiana
–Jalandhar-Amritsar Road; Chandigarh-Ludhiana–Moga- Ferozpur Road;
Chandigarh-Ropar-Hoshiarpur–PathankotRoad;Amritsar-Batala-Gurdaspur-Pathankot Road; Amritsar-Tarn Taran-Patti-Ferozpur
Road; Ferozpur-Fazilka-Abohar Road; and all other similar roads;

6.Canalization
of major rivers of the state, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej and construction
of high speed economic corridors on bunds (Dhusis)on these rivers
will be undertaken not only to secure livelihood of a large number of farmers
but also to secure new possibilities of jobs and businesses for local
populations in and around these areas;

7.Establishment of new industrial hubs,
Industrial Focal Pointsand
Infrastructure Logistic Parks along side the Rail Freight Corridors will be
pursued on priority;

8.Establishment of investor specific
industrial parks and townships to promote new investment in IT, Food
Technology, Bio-technology, and Agro and Food Processing will be pursued on a
priority;

9.Speedier development of air ports at tier II
cities of Bathinda, Patiala Jalandhar, Ludhiana, and Pathankot, will be
ensured;

10.The Road Safety Authority will be setup
to study the cause of road accident and deaths in the State with a view to minimize
the same; and

11.A State Site Selection Committee shall be
setup to suggest
appropriate sites to locate or relocate the Solid Waste Management Plants
and Waste/Garbage dumps at Amritsar, Jalandhar Cantonment, Patiala and
Bathinda.

XXXVIII - WOMEN
EMPOWERMENT

1.The Congress Government will :

1.Ensure 33%
reservation for women in all Government Jobs including contractual appointments ;

2.Increase
representation of women in PRIs and ULBs form the present 33 percent to 50
percent;

3.Ensure skill
development for widows of farmers who commit suicide for
their quality employment;

4.Provide free
education including hostel facility to children of suicide victims;

5.Ensure
SAFE cities for all women;

6.Provide Free
education for girls for Class I to Phd.;

7.Formulate a State
Policy on Empowerment of Women with an action plan and allocation of resources;

8.Establish Crisis Centers
in all districts of the State to help
women affected by domestic violence. FreeLegal andMedical aid will be
provided at one point to all such women; and

9.The
State Commission for Women will be strengthened and made more broad based;

XXXIX – MARRIAGE
PALACES

1.The indifference and unreasonable restrictions
placed on Marriage palaces in Punjab has pushed most of them on the verge of
closure. Marriage function in progress are raided at times, causing unwanted
harassment of the people. The Congress Government will review the
Government policy dated 16/11/2012 and ensure that no retrospective tax in the
form of EDC, CLU, License Fee, SIF or fee for approval of building plan is
charged from Marriage Palaces which were existing in Punjab before 21/01/2005;

2.The Congress Government will introduce practices and processes to stream
line the grant of CLU’s to encourage establishment of new Marriage
Palaces.CLU rates will be reviewed;
and

3.The Congress Government will adopt and
implement Excise Policy qua Marriage palaces at par with the neighboring
States.

XL – AGENDA FOR GREEN PUNJAB

1.Huge awareness campaign to be launched. The Congress Government will initiate widespread
awareness campaign on environmental degradation of all kind;

2.The
Congress Government will establish State agency for all issues related to
environment and natural resources.The
commission will be empowered to act as per the needs of the environment and to
protect the environmental rights of the people of Punjab to get clean air, pure
water, safe and nutritious food and prevention and treatment of environment
related diseases. The fundamental right – “Right to Life” has no meaning
without ensuring above said rights;

3.Improving
Tree Cover: Forest
and Tree Cover in Punjab is the lowest in the country.A Large-scale state-wide Tree Plantation and
Afforestation program will be taken up with massive citizen participation (and
by using MGNREGS and other schemes), with a target of increasing the Forest
& Tree cover to 15%.Eucalyptus plantations,
which are affecting state’s biodiversity, will be substituted with bio-diverse
plantations. This will transform the ecology of the state in a big way – with
massive improvements in air quality, ground water levels, temperatures and
rainfall;

4.Adoption
of a watershed approach in planning and management of water resources: The
Congress Government will adapt watershed approach to use and conserve water in
different ways with due regard to its natural flow at the smallest level, in
our streams, rivulets and rivers;

5.Making
rain water harvesting mandatory: The rain water harvesting will be made
mandatory in the whole of Punjab.This
programme will cover rural and urban areas. Farmers will be encouraged and
incentivized to make farm ponds in their farms;

6.Reviving
water bodies: Thousands of water bodies, ponds and wetlands of Punjab have
disappeared over the past decades due to large scale encroachments, destruction
of catchments areas, mindless construction of water channels and other reasons,
thus ruining the entire water ecology of the state and damaging its biodiversity.
This has also caused steep fall in ground water recharging rate.There is an urgent need to evolve a strategy
to revive ponds, reservoirs and wetlands.The Congress Government will pursue this as a time bound-agenda of the
State;

7.Making
Pollution Control Board accountable: Industrial toxic waste being disposed
of into water bodies, rivers, canals, seasonal drains, sewers and even in the groundwater
through pits, wells and tube wells etc. is a major cause for concern.The Pollution Control Board will be made to
discharge its duty with full accountability and this will be addressed with
community participation and education;

8.A project will be launched for cleansing
of river waters in Punjab. A committee comprising social
reformers and environmentalists of proven caliber and credentials will
spearhead the project. The work of this project will commence with the
cleansing of Sutlej and Beas rivers; and

9.Rice straw bailing and Zero till
machine (10,000) will be given ata subsidy of 75%.

XLI – FREEDOM FIGHTERS

The
Congress had been in the Vanguard of the freedom struggle and applauds the
freedom fighters from the Punjab who are now a dwindling lot.It will be a privilege of the Congress
Government:

1.to honor Freedom fighters, the pride
of the State, in their respective districtson the Independence Day on 15th August and on the Republic
Day on 26th January;

2.to
provide One house to every freedom fighters at the village or town where
he resides ordinarily;

3.to provide 300 units of
Electricity free of cost every month;

4.to
provide One out of turn tube well connection for the family of a Freedom
fighter; and

5.to
exempt freedom fighters from payment of toll tax on the State highways.

XLII-LAWYERS

The
Congress Government will:

1.provide
Chambers to all practicing lawyers (within Five years) at reasonable lease rent
and until then
sufficient Hall space (for seating of those who don’t have chamber) shall be
constructed at every district and sub divisional level.This is specifically for the benefit of those
young law graduates who start the profession but have to pay huge premium
buying chamber space. The lawyers will be required to pay nominal user charges
towards maintenance cost of chambers so constructed;

2.Initiate
a Cashless Medical & Accident Insurance Scheme
for all advocates funded in equal part, by GOP and the advocate concerned; and

3.A
young Advocate who start practice will be given a stipend of Rs. 2500/- PM for the
first two years.

XLIII – LAMBERDARS

The Congress Government will ensure:

1.an exclusive
chamber for the use of Lamberdars in every District and Sub Divisional Complex;
and

2.provide
an Honorarium of Rs. 2500/- PMto every
Lamberdar.

XLIV –
CHOWKIDARS

The Congress Government will :

1.Increase remuneration of Chowkidars to Rs 2000 per month.

XLV – FAIR PRICE
SHOPS/RATION DEPOT HOLDERS

1.The Congress Government will review
the existing scheme of allocation of licenses and rations for the Fair Price
Shops under the Public Distribution System, ensuring that the licensees get
fair remuneration for their livelihood and are not required to indulge in
malpractices in managing their shops/business, ensuring that the rations reach
the targeted groups.

XLVI – AIDED
SCHOOL TEACHERS

The Congress Government
will:

1.Review the Scheme of Financial Aid to Private Schools and Colleges to
ensure that these schools get adequate number of quality teachers; and

2.Consider the grant of allowances and other pending benefits as per
Government rules.

XLVII
– MEDIA

The Congress Government will encourage and
strengthen the fourth estate of Indian Democracy, including Print and
Electronic Media, fully following all canons of its free and fair play.
It will:

1.Set up a Press
Accreditation Committee including representatives of the registered
journalist unions/ associations with an over 10- years standing;

2.Implement special
social security schemes comprising of pension, old age pension and
medical insurance for the media-persons;

3.Allot
land for group housing to the recognized associations/unions of the media-persons;

4.Allow
free travel to all journalists and desk personnel;

5.Exempt
media-persons from the payment of toll tax on the state highways; and

6.Review
the existing rules for allotment of government accommodation to journalists to ensure
provision of a fair quota for them.

XLVIIIEMPLOYEES

The Congress Government will:

1.Ensure
expeditious payment of the pending DA and other dues of employees;

2.Expedite
finalization and implementation of the report of 6th Punjab Pay
Commission after hearing all representative employees’
associations/organization;

3.Ensure payment
of full salary on recruitment to the government service as per rules;

5.Regularize all
adhoc and contractual employees recruited through transparent systems and procedures;

6.Ensure regular
annual recruitment of critical core employees against the sanctioned posts; and

7.Discourage
transfers unless these are warranted because of any disciplinary
actions/proceedings or hardship of employees.

XLIXMISCELLANEOUS

1. ‘Sasti
Roti’, the Community Kitchens will be set up in every district and
sub-divisional HQs. These will be run by the District Red Cross Societies to
provide meals to poor and homeless persons at Rs. 5/- per meal;

2.Set
up a Professor Gurdial Singh Chair at Punjabi University Patiala for
research in Punjab Culture; and

3.Introduction of an Annual Prof. Gurdial
Singh National Award for outstanding contribution to Punjabi Literature.

Punjab’s Law of Historical
memory is aimed at a collective recognition of the region’s past, and identifying
specific periods of both prosperity and decline.The era of the Empire under Maharaja Ranjit
Singh is to be celebrated as an era of greatness and strength, and special
efforts will be placed on locating, preserving and displaying its relics. On
the other hand, the British Raj is to be formally condemned as the single most
unfortunate, cruel and humiliating phase of Punjab’s history, and indeed that
of India. Any surviving colonial vestiges that serve as glorification of
subjugatory, racist and imperialist policies, will either be destroyed, or
displayed in a manner that clearly functions as a reminder of inflicted
injustice.This law must not be confused
as an attempt to distort history, but should rather be understood as a
conscious effort to encourage widespread knowledge of Punjab’s past.Moreover, it seeks to reignite the Punjabi
sense of pride by collectively identifying our epochs of both greatness and
misfortune. Besides realizing the reasons behind them, we must unequivocally
aspire to the former whilst denouncing the latter.

****

[1]On 9 August 1947 a decisive change was
implemented to the Radcliffe Line: the boundary that would mark the borders
between India and the new nation of Pakistan. Key areas that were originally
intended to be awarded to Pakistan were deemed to remain in India, entirely at
the insistence of Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru. These include Ferozepur and Zira
tehsils from the district of Ferozepur, Nakodar and Jalandhar tehsils from the
district of Jalandhar, Ajnala tehsils from the district of Amritsar and the
whole district of Gurdaspur. Since these areas had populations with a Muslim
majority and were contiguous to what would become West Punjab, it was decided
that they should be included in the territories granted to Pakistan. However,
due to Pandit Nehru’s intense persuasion of Lord Mountbatten, this decision was
changed and it was agreed that the aforementioned areas would remain a part of
India. The fact that this happened and was finalized on the night of 9th August
is confirmed by both Mr H.C Beaumont, an I.C.S officer of the Punjab Cadre who
was Secretary to Boundary Commission and Mr. N. Rao, Assistant Secretary of the
Boundary Commission. Generations of Punjabis will remain indebted and grateful
to the country’s first Prime Minister for ensuring that these areas are still
part of Punjab, India.